🔗 Share this article

Profound tributes are pouring in for Bahram Beyzai, a colossus of Persian film and stage, who has died at the age of 87 in the US.

Homeland in Mourning

The front pages of Iranian newspapers mourn his loss, with dissenting figures and those who reflect nostalgically on the Shah era also paying homage to Beyzai.

"His passing is a great loss for the cultural heritage of our country," remarked Prince Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran.

Even though Beyzai's subsequent works were prohibited in the 1980s by the Islamic regime, a host of prominent officials in the current government have also acknowledged his legacy to Iranian culture.

The Teacher of a Generation

Many of the contemporary generation of Iranian filmmakers have expressed their gratitude to him. Jaafar Panahi said that Beyzai showed them "the way to resist oblivion."

Beyzai steered clear of direct political references in his work, both as a playwright and a film director, and always said he tried not to trade in overt messages.

But his oeuvre over countless years places historical, even mythic figures in conflict with authoritarian religious and political systems.

A Cultural Foundation

From a family of renowned poets, Beyzai was imbued in the richest heritage of Iranian artistry from birth.

He first found fame as a playwright, drawing on 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.

An Enduring Voice

His most productive period straddled the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that overthrew him—with each regime constantly poised to sniff out hidden messages that could be seen as dissent.

"Beyzai did not choose the path of least resistance. He endured years of exclusion, enforced quiet, and distance, but he did not give up his language and his beliefs," said 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 take refuge from the Iran-Iraq war.

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 restored version at this year's Venice Film Festival, winning an award for outstanding feature in the classics section.

A Hopeful Exile

Beyzai finally left Iran in 2010 and lived out his final days in the US, where he taught Iranian culture.

Even after 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 future for his native land.