🔗 Share this article Persian Film Giant, Bahram Beyzai, Dies At the Age of 87 Beyzai pictured alongside his spouse, the actress Mozhdeh Shamsai Profound tributes are pouring in for the legendary Bahram Beyzai, a giant of Iranian cinema and theatre, who has died at the age of 87 while residing in the United States. Homeland in Mourning The front pages of publications in Iran mourn his loss, with opposition voices and those who reflect nostalgically on the Shah era also offering their respects to Beyzai. "This loss is an immense tragedy for the art and culture of our country," said the exiled prince, son of the last Shah of Iran. Although Beyzai's later films were prohibited in the 1980s by the theocratic government, a number of prominent officials in the present administration have also paid tribute his contribution to Iranian culture. A Mentor to Filmmakers Several of the contemporary generation of Iranian filmmakers have expressed their gratitude to him. Award-winning director Jaafar Panahi said that Beyzai taught them "the way to resist oblivion." Beyzai steered clear of overtly political content in his work, both as a playwright and a cinematic auteur, and always maintained he tried not to trade in explicit commentary. But his oeuvre over countless years sets historical, even mythic figures in opposition with oppressive structures of power. Roots in Tradition Hailing from a lineage of celebrated poets, Beyzai was steeped in the richest heritage of Iranian artistry from birth. He first rose to prominence as a playwright, inspired by Persian legend and ritual. A devotee of cinema, he moved into making films in the 1970s. He won renown as one of the key figures in the groundbreaking movement of Persian film. Navigating Censorship His most productive period straddled the time of the Shah and then the Islamic theocratic forces that overthrew him—with both systems constantly poised to sniff out subtext that could be seen as criticism. "Beyzai did not choose the easy way. He withstood years of marginalization, enforced quiet, and exile, but he never abandoned his artistic voice and his beliefs," stated Jaafar Panahi in his tribute. The Little Stranger A few years after the Iranian Revolution, he produced what many consider his magnum opus, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a small boy who tries to take refuge from the Iran-Iraq war. It was censored in Iran—as were subsequent works he made in that time—but later voted by critics as the greatest Iranian film of all time. The film was screened in a restored version at this year's Venice Biennale, winning an award for outstanding feature 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. Although he left his homeland, his wife, the actress Shamsai, said just the sound of the word "Iran" would still bring tears to his eyes—and he continued to hope for a new culture and future for his native land.