🔗 Share this article Iranian Film Giant, Bahram Beyzai, Dies Aged 87 Bahram Beyzai (left) with his wife, actress Mozhdeh Shamsai Profound tributes are pouring in for Bahram Beyzai, a colossus of Iranian cinema and theatre, who has died at the age of 87 in the US. Homeland in Mourning The headlines of Iranian newspapers mourn his loss, with opposition voices and those who reflect nostalgically on the Shah era also paying homage to Beyzai. "His passing is a great loss for the art and culture of our country," remarked the exiled prince, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran. Even though Beyzai's subsequent works were banned in the 1980s by the theocratic government, a number of prominent officials in the current government have also paid tribute his legacy to Persian arts. The Teacher of a Generation Many of the contemporary generation of Iranian filmmakers have expressed their gratitude to him. Award-winning director Jaafar Panahi said that Beyzai showed them "how to stand up to oblivion." Beyzai avoided overtly political content in his work, both as a playwright and a cinematic auteur, and always maintained he tried not to trade in overt messages. But his work over countless years sets historical, even mythic figures in conflict with authoritarian structures of power. A Cultural Foundation From a family of celebrated poets, Beyzai was steeped in the richest heritage of Persian culture from birth. He first found fame as a playwright, drawing on ancient myths and ceremonies. A lifelong fan of cinema, he moved into making films in the 1970s. He won renown as one of the key figures in the groundbreaking movement of Iranian cinema. An Enduring Voice His most productive period spanned the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that deposed him—with each regime ever ready to detect hidden messages that could be interpreted as dissent. "Beyzai did not choose the easy way. He endured years of marginalization, imposed silence, and distance, but he never abandoned his artistic voice and his convictions," said the filmmaker in his tribute. The Little Stranger A few years after the 1979 Revolution, he produced what many consider his masterpiece, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a small boy who tries to take refuge from the Iran-Iraq war. It was banned in Iran—as were subsequent works he made in that period—but later chosen by 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. A Hopeful Exile Beyzai ultimately departed Iran in 2010 and spent his later years in the US, where he taught Iranian culture. Although he went into exile, his wife, the actress Mozhdeh 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.