🔗 Share this article Iranian Cinema Giant, Bahram Beyzai, Passes Away At the Age of 87 Bahram Beyzai (left) with his wife, actress Mozhdeh Shamsai Widespread homages have been shared for the legendary Bahram Beyzai, a colossus of Persian film and stage, who passed away aged 87 in the US. Homeland in Mourning The front pages of Iranian newspapers mourn his loss, with dissenting figures and those who reflect nostalgically on the pre-revolution period also offering their respects to Beyzai. "His passing is a great loss for the art and culture of our country," said the exiled prince, son of the last Shah of Iran. Although Beyzai's subsequent works were prohibited in the 1980s by the theocratic government, a number of prominent officials in the current government have also paid tribute his legacy to Iranian culture. The Teacher of a Generation Many of the current crop of Iranian filmmakers have acknowledged their debt to him. Jaafar Panahi said that Beyzai showed them "the way to resist oblivion." Beyzai steered clear of overtly political content in his work, both as a playwright and a film director, and always maintained he tried not to deal in overt messages. But his work over countless years sets archetypal characters in conflict with oppressive religious and political systems. Roots in Tradition From a family of renowned poets, Beyzai was imbued in the deepest traditions of Iranian artistry from birth. He first rose to prominence as a theater writer, inspired by Persian legend and ritual. A devotee of cinema, he transitioned to filmmaking in the 1970s. He won renown as one of the pivotal artists in the new wave of Iranian cinema. An Enduring Voice His most productive period spanned the time of the Shah and then the Islamic theocratic forces that deposed him—with both systems ever ready to sniff out hidden messages that could be seen as criticism. "Beyzai did not choose the path of least resistance. He withstood years of exclusion, imposed silence, and exile, but he did not give up his language and his beliefs," stated the filmmaker in his tribute. The Little Stranger A few years after the Iranian Revolution, he produced what many regard as his masterpiece, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a young child who tries to take refuge from the devastating conflict. It was banned in Iran—as were subsequent works he made in that period—but later chosen by film critics as the best Iranian film of all time. The film was screened in a newly remastered print at this year's Venice Biennale, winning an award for outstanding feature in the classics section. Final Years in Exile Beyzai ultimately departed Iran in 2010 and lived out his final days in the US, where he lectured on Iranian culture. Although he left his homeland, his wife, the actress Shamsai, said just the sound of the word "Iran" would still make him emotional—and he continued to hope for a renewed spirit and future for his native land.