🔗 Share this article Iranian Cinema Titan, Bahram Beyzai, Passes Away At the Age of 87 Beyzai pictured alongside his spouse, the actress Mozhdeh Shamsai Widespread tributes are pouring in for Bahram Beyzai, a colossus of Persian film and stage, who has died at the age of 87 in the US. A Nation Mourns The front pages of Iranian newspapers mourn his loss, with dissenting figures and those who look back fondly on the Shah era also offering their respects to Beyzai. "This loss is a great loss for the cultural heritage of our country," said the exiled prince, son of the last Shah of Iran. Even though Beyzai's later films were prohibited in the 1980s by the Islamic regime, a number of prominent officials in the present administration have also acknowledged his legacy to Persian arts. A Mentor to Filmmakers Several of the contemporary generation of Iranian filmmakers have expressed their gratitude to him. Jaafar Panahi noted that Beyzai showed them "how to stand up to oblivion." Beyzai steered clear of direct political references in his work, both as a playwright and a film director, and always said he tried not to trade in overt messages. But his oeuvre over countless years places historical, even mythic figures in opposition with oppressive structures of power. A Cultural Foundation Hailing from a lineage of renowned poets, Beyzai was steeped in the richest heritage of Persian culture from birth. He first found fame as a theater writer, inspired by Persian legend and ritual. A lifelong fan of cinema, he moved into making films in the 1970s. He gained acclaim as one of the key figures in the new wave of Persian film. An Enduring Voice His most fruitful era straddled the time of the Shah and then the Islamic theocratic forces that deposed him—with each regime constantly poised to sniff out subtext that could be seen as dissent. "Beyzai did not choose the easy way. He withstood years of exclusion, enforced quiet, 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 1979 Revolution, he produced what many regard as his magnum opus, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a young child who tries to find shelter from the Iran-Iraq war. It was banned in Iran—as were other films he made in that period—but later voted by film critics as the greatest Iranian film of all time. The film was screened in a newly remastered print at this year's Venice Film Festival, receiving an award for best film in the classics section. A Hopeful Exile Beyzai finally left Iran in 2010 and spent his later years in the US, where he taught Persian studies. Even after he went into exile, his wife, the actress Shamsai, said just hearing the word "Iran" would still make him emotional—and he continued to hope for a new culture and future for his homeland.