🔗 Share this article Iranian Film Giant, Bahram Beyzai, Dies At the Age of 87 Bahram Beyzai (left) with his wife, actress Mozhdeh Shamsai Profound homages have been shared for Bahram Beyzai, a colossus of Persian film and stage, who passed away at the age of 87 in the US. Homeland in Mourning The front pages of publications in Iran lament his loss, with opposition voices and those who reflect nostalgically on the pre-revolution period 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. Although Beyzai's subsequent works were prohibited in the 1980s by the Islamic regime, a host of prominent officials in the present administration have also paid tribute his contribution to Iranian culture. The Teacher of a Generation Many of the current crop of Iranian filmmakers have acknowledged their debt 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 dramatist and a film director, and always said he tried not to deal in overt messages. But his oeuvre over many decades places archetypal characters in conflict with authoritarian structures of power. A Cultural Foundation From a family of renowned poets, Beyzai was imbued in the deepest traditions of Iranian artistry from birth. He first found fame as a theater writer, inspired by ancient myths and ceremonies. A lifelong fan of cinema, he transitioned to filmmaking in the 1970s. He won renown as one of the pivotal artists in the groundbreaking movement of Persian film. Navigating Censorship His most fruitful era spanned the time of the Shah and then the Islamic theocratic forces that deposed him—with each regime ever ready to detect subtext that could be seen as dissent. "Beyzai never opted for the path of least resistance. He endured years of exclusion, imposed silence, and exile, but he never abandoned his language and his beliefs," stated Jaafar Panahi in his tribute. The Little Stranger A few years after the 1979 Revolution, he produced what many regard as his masterpiece, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a small boy who tries to find shelter from the devastating conflict. It was censored in Iran—as were subsequent works he made in that time—but later chosen by critics as the best Iranian film of all time. The film was shown in a restored version at this year's Venice Film Festival, winning an award for outstanding feature in the heritage category. Final Years in Exile Beyzai ultimately departed Iran in 2010 and spent his later years in the US, where he lectured on Iranian culture. Although he left his homeland, his wife, the actress Shamsai, said just hearing the word "Iran" would still bring tears to his eyes—and he remained ever hopeful for a new culture and tomorrow for his native land.