🔗 Share this article Persian Film Titan, Bahram Beyzai, Passes Away Aged 87 Bahram Beyzai (left) with his wife, actress Mozhdeh Shamsai Profound tributes are pouring in for the legendary Bahram Beyzai, a giant 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 dissenting figures and those who look back fondly on the Shah era also offering their respects to Beyzai. "His passing is a great loss for the cultural heritage of our country," remarked Prince Reza Pahlavi, son of the last Shah of Iran. Although Beyzai's subsequent works were banned in the 1980s by the theocratic government, a host of prominent officials in the present administration have also acknowledged his legacy to Persian arts. The Teacher of a Generation Several of the contemporary generation of Iranian filmmakers have expressed their gratitude to him. Award-winning director Jaafar Panahi noted that Beyzai showed them "the way to resist 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 explicit commentary. But his work over many decades places historical, even mythic figures in conflict with authoritarian religious and political systems. Roots in Tradition Hailing from a lineage of celebrated poets, Beyzai was imbued in the deepest traditions of Iranian artistry from birth. He first rose to prominence as a theater writer, drawing on ancient myths and ceremonies. A lifelong fan of cinema, he transitioned to making films in the 1970s. He won renown as one of the key figures in the groundbreaking movement of Persian film. Navigating Censorship His most fruitful era spanned the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that deposed him—with each regime ever ready to sniff out hidden messages that could be seen as criticism. "Beyzai did not choose the easy way. He endured years of exclusion, enforced quiet, and distance, but he never abandoned his artistic voice and his beliefs," stated Jaafar Panahi in his tribute. A Masterpiece Amidst Conflict A few years after the 1979 Revolution, he produced what many consider his masterpiece, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a small boy who tries to find shelter from the Iran-Iraq war. It was banned in Iran—as were other films he made in that period—but later voted by critics as the greatest 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. Final Years in Exile Beyzai ultimately departed Iran in 2010 and spent his later years in the US, where he taught Iranian culture. Although he left his homeland, his wife, the actress Mozhdeh Shamsai, said just hearing the word "Iran" would still make him emotional—and he continued to hope for a new culture and tomorrow for his homeland.