🔗 Share this article Persian Film Titan, Beyzai, Passes Away Aged 87 Bahram Beyzai (left) with his wife, actress Mozhdeh Shamsai Profound homages have been shared for the legendary Bahram Beyzai, a giant of Iranian cinema and theatre, who passed away aged 87 while residing in the United States. Homeland in Mourning The headlines of publications in Iran lament his loss, with dissenting figures and those who look back fondly on the pre-revolution period also offering their respects to Beyzai. "This loss is an immense tragedy for the cultural heritage of our country," remarked Prince Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran. Although Beyzai's subsequent works were prohibited in the 1980s by the theocratic government, a host of senior figures in the present administration have also paid tribute his legacy to Iranian culture. A Mentor to Filmmakers Many of the contemporary generation of Iranian filmmakers have acknowledged their debt to him. Jaafar Panahi said that Beyzai taught them "how to stand up to oblivion." Beyzai avoided direct political references in his work, both as a dramatist and a cinematic auteur, and always said he tried not to trade in explicit commentary. But his work over many decades sets historical, even mythic figures in conflict with authoritarian structures of power. Roots in Tradition Hailing from a lineage of renowned poets, Beyzai was imbued in the deepest traditions of Iranian artistry from birth. He first found fame as a playwright, drawing on ancient myths and ceremonies. A devotee of cinema, he moved into making films in the 1970s. He won renown as one of the pivotal artists in the groundbreaking movement of Iranian cinema. Navigating Censorship His most productive period straddled the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that deposed him—with both systems ever ready to sniff out subtext that could be interpreted as dissent. "Beyzai did not choose the path of least resistance. He endured years of exclusion, imposed silence, and distance, but he did not give up his artistic voice and his beliefs," said the filmmaker in his tribute. A Masterpiece Amidst Conflict A few years after the Iranian Revolution, he produced what many regard as his magnum opus, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a young child who tries to take refuge from the devastating conflict. It was censored 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 restored version at this year's Venice Biennale, receiving an award for best film in the heritage category. A Hopeful Exile Beyzai finally left Iran in 2010 and lived out his final days in the US, where he taught Persian studies. Even after he left his homeland, his wife, the actress Mozhdeh Shamsai, said just the sound of the word "Iran" would still make him emotional—and he remained ever hopeful for a new culture and future for his homeland.