🔗 Share this article Iranian Film Giant, Beyzai, Dies At the Age of 87 Beyzai pictured alongside his spouse, the actress Mozhdeh Shamsai Profound homages have been shared for Bahram Beyzai, a giant of Iranian cinema and theatre, who has died at the age of 87 in the US. A Nation Mourns The front pages of Iranian newspapers lament his loss, with dissenting figures and those who look back fondly on the pre-revolution period also paying homage to Beyzai. "His passing is a great loss for the cultural heritage of our country," said Prince Reza Pahlavi, son of the last Shah of Iran. Even though Beyzai's subsequent works were prohibited in the 1980s by the Islamic regime, a number of senior figures in the present administration have also paid tribute his legacy to Persian arts. A Mentor to Filmmakers Several 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 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 oeuvre over many decades places archetypal characters in opposition with authoritarian religious and political systems. A Cultural Foundation From a family of renowned poets, Beyzai was steeped in the richest heritage of Persian culture from birth. He first found fame as a theater writer, inspired by Persian legend and ritual. A devotee of cinema, he transitioned to filmmaking in the 1970s. He won renown as one of the pivotal artists in the groundbreaking movement of Iranian cinema. An Enduring Voice His most productive period straddled the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that deposed him—with both systems ever ready to detect subtext that could be interpreted as criticism. "Beyzai did not choose the path of least resistance. He withstood years of marginalization, enforced quiet, and exile, but he never abandoned his artistic voice and his beliefs," said Jaafar Panahi in his tribute. The Little Stranger 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 voted by critics as the greatest Iranian film of all time. The film was screened in a restored version at this year's Venice Film Festival, 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. Although he left his homeland, his wife, the actress Shamsai, said just hearing the word "Iran" would still make him emotional—and he remained ever hopeful for a renewed spirit and future for his homeland.