🔗 Share this article Iranian Cinema Giant, Beyzai, Passes Away At the Age of 87 Beyzai pictured alongside his spouse, the actress Mozhdeh Shamsai Profound tributes have been shared for Bahram Beyzai, a giant of Iranian cinema and theatre, who has died aged 87 in the US. Homeland in Mourning The front pages of publications in Iran mourn his loss, with dissenting figures and those who reflect nostalgically 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, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran. Even though Beyzai's later films were banned in the 1980s by the Islamic regime, 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 current crop of Persian directors have expressed their gratitude to him. Award-winning director Jaafar Panahi noted 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 maintained he tried not to deal in overt messages. But his work over many decades sets archetypal characters in conflict with oppressive structures of power. A Cultural Foundation Hailing from a lineage of celebrated poets, Beyzai was imbued in the richest heritage of Persian culture from birth. He first found fame as a theater writer, drawing on Persian legend and ritual. A devotee of cinema, he transitioned to filmmaking in the 1970s. He gained acclaim as one of the key figures in the groundbreaking movement of Iranian cinema. An Enduring Voice His most fruitful era straddled the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that deposed him—with each regime ever ready to sniff out subtext that could be seen as dissent. "Beyzai never opted for the easy way. He endured years of exclusion, enforced quiet, and exile, but he never abandoned his artistic voice and his beliefs," said the filmmaker in his tribute. A Masterpiece Amidst Conflict A few years after the 1979 Revolution, he produced what many consider his masterpiece, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a young child who tries to find shelter from the devastating conflict. It was censored in Iran—as were other films he made in that time—but later voted by film critics as the best Iranian film of all time. The film was shown in a newly remastered print at this year's Venice Biennale, winning 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 Iranian culture. 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 tomorrow for his native land.