🔗 Share this article Iranian Film Titan, Beyzai, Passes Away At the Age of 87 Bahram Beyzai (left) with his wife, actress Mozhdeh Shamsai Widespread homages are pouring in for Bahram Beyzai, a colossus of Iranian cinema and theatre, who passed away aged 87 in the US. A Nation Mourns The headlines 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," remarked Prince Reza Pahlavi, son of the last Shah of Iran. Although Beyzai's subsequent works were prohibited in the 1980s by the Islamic regime, a host of senior figures in the current government have also paid tribute his contribution to Iranian culture. A Mentor to Filmmakers Several of the current crop of Persian directors have acknowledged their debt to him. Jaafar Panahi noted that Beyzai taught them "how to stand up to oblivion." Beyzai avoided direct political references in his work, both as a playwright and a cinematic auteur, and always said he tried not to deal in overt messages. But his work over countless years sets historical, even mythic figures in conflict with authoritarian structures of power. A Cultural Foundation Hailing from a lineage of celebrated poets, Beyzai was imbued in the richest heritage of Iranian artistry from birth. He first found fame as a playwright, drawing on Persian legend and ritual. A devotee of cinema, he moved into making films in the 1970s. He won renown as one of the key figures in the groundbreaking movement of Iranian cinema. Navigating Censorship His most productive period spanned the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that overthrew him—with both systems ever ready to detect hidden messages that could be seen as dissent. "Beyzai never opted for the path of least resistance. He withstood years of exclusion, enforced quiet, and distance, but he did not give up his artistic voice and his beliefs," stated 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 small boy who tries to take refuge from the devastating conflict. It was banned in Iran—as were subsequent works he made in that time—but later voted by critics as the greatest Iranian film of all time. The film was screened in a newly remastered print at this year's Venice Film Festival, winning an award for best film in the classics section. A Hopeful 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 the sound of the word "Iran" would still make him emotional—and he continued to hope for a new culture and tomorrow for his native land.