🔗 Share this article Persian Cinema Titan, Bahram Beyzai, Dies At the Age of 87 Beyzai pictured alongside his spouse, the actress Mozhdeh Shamsai Widespread homages have been shared for Bahram Beyzai, a colossus of Persian film and stage, who passed away aged 87 in the US. A Nation Mourns The front pages of Iranian newspapers lament his loss, with dissenting figures and those who reflect nostalgically on the pre-revolution period also offering their respects to Beyzai. "His passing 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 subsequent works were banned in the 1980s by the theocratic government, a number of senior figures in the current government have also acknowledged his legacy to Persian arts. A Mentor to Filmmakers Several of the contemporary generation of Persian directors have acknowledged their debt 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 dramatist and a cinematic auteur, and always said he tried not to deal in overt messages. But his work over many decades places archetypal characters in opposition with authoritarian religious and political systems. Roots in Tradition From a family of celebrated poets, Beyzai was imbued in the richest heritage of Persian culture from birth. He first found fame as a theater writer, inspired by ancient myths and ceremonies. A lifelong fan of cinema, he transitioned to making films in the 1970s. He gained acclaim as one of the key figures in the new wave of Iranian cinema. An Enduring Voice His most productive period straddled the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that overthrew him—with both systems ever ready to detect hidden messages that could be interpreted as criticism. "Beyzai never opted for the path of least resistance. He endured years of exclusion, imposed silence, and distance, but he never abandoned his artistic voice and his convictions," said the filmmaker in his tribute. A Masterpiece Amidst Conflict A few years after the 1979 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 banned in Iran—as were other films he made in that time—but later chosen by film critics as the best Iranian film of all time. The film was screened in a newly remastered print at this year's Venice Film Festival, winning an award for outstanding feature in the heritage category. Final Years in Exile Beyzai finally left Iran in 2010 and spent his later years in the US, where he lectured on 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 remained ever hopeful for a new culture and tomorrow for his homeland.