🔗 Share this article Iranian Cinema Giant, Beyzai, Dies Aged 87 Beyzai pictured alongside his spouse, the actress Mozhdeh Shamsai Profound homages are pouring in for the legendary Bahram Beyzai, a giant of Iranian cinema and theatre, who passed away aged 87 while residing in the United States. Homeland in Mourning The front pages of Iranian newspapers lament his loss, with opposition voices and those who look back fondly on the Shah era also paying homage to Beyzai. "His passing is an immense tragedy for the art and culture of our country," said Prince Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran. Even though Beyzai's later films were prohibited in the 1980s by the theocratic government, a number of senior figures in the present administration have also acknowledged his contribution to Iranian culture. The Teacher of a Generation Several of the contemporary generation of Persian directors have acknowledged their debt to him. Award-winning director Jaafar Panahi said that Beyzai showed them "the way to resist oblivion." Beyzai avoided direct political references in his work, both as a dramatist and a film director, and always maintained he tried not to deal in explicit commentary. But his work over countless years places historical, even mythic figures in opposition with authoritarian religious and political systems. A Cultural Foundation Hailing from a lineage of renowned poets, Beyzai was imbued in the deepest traditions of Iranian artistry from birth. He first rose to prominence as a playwright, inspired by Persian legend and ritual. A lifelong fan of cinema, he transitioned to filmmaking in the 1970s. He gained acclaim as one of the pivotal artists in the groundbreaking movement of Persian film. Navigating Censorship His most productive period spanned the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that deposed him—with each regime ever ready to detect subtext that could be seen as dissent. "Beyzai did not choose the easy way. He withstood years of marginalization, imposed silence, and exile, but he never abandoned his artistic voice 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 magnum opus, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a small boy who tries to take refuge from the devastating conflict. It was censored in Iran—as were subsequent works he made in that period—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, receiving an award for best film in the classics section. A Hopeful Exile Beyzai finally left Iran in 2010 and spent his later years in the US, where he lectured on Iranian culture. Although he went into exile, his wife, the actress Shamsai, said just the sound of the word "Iran" would still bring tears to his eyes—and he continued to hope for a new culture and future for his homeland.