🔗 Share this article Persian Cinema Giant, Bahram Beyzai, Dies At the Age of 87 Bahram Beyzai (left) with his wife, actress Mozhdeh Shamsai Widespread homages have been shared for the legendary Bahram Beyzai, a colossus of Persian film and stage, who passed away at the age of 87 in the US. A Nation Mourns The headlines of Iranian newspapers mourn his loss, with dissenting figures and those who reflect nostalgically 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 the exiled prince, son of the last Shah of Iran. Even though Beyzai's later films were banned in the 1980s by the theocratic government, a number of prominent officials in the current government have also acknowledged his legacy 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 noted that Beyzai taught them "the way to resist oblivion." Beyzai avoided direct political references in his work, both as a playwright and a film director, and always maintained he tried not to trade in explicit commentary. But his oeuvre over many decades sets archetypal characters in conflict with authoritarian religious and political systems. A Cultural Foundation From a family of renowned poets, Beyzai was imbued in the deepest traditions of Persian culture from birth. He first rose to prominence as a theater writer, drawing on Persian legend and ritual. A devotee of cinema, he moved into filmmaking in the 1970s. He won renown as one of the pivotal artists in the groundbreaking movement of Iranian cinema. Navigating Censorship His most fruitful era spanned the time of the Shah and then the Islamic theocratic forces that overthrew him—with both systems ever ready to sniff out subtext that could be interpreted as criticism. "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 language and his convictions," said the filmmaker in his tribute. A Masterpiece Amidst Conflict A few years after the Iranian Revolution, he produced what many consider his masterpiece, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a young child who tries to find shelter from the Iran-Iraq war. It was censored in Iran—as were other films he made in that time—but later voted by critics as the greatest Iranian film of all time. The film was shown in a restored version at this year's Venice Biennale, receiving an award for outstanding feature in the classics section. A Hopeful Exile Beyzai ultimately departed Iran in 2010 and lived out his final days in the US, where he lectured on Iranian culture. Although 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 renewed spirit and tomorrow for his homeland.