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Widespread homages have been shared for Bahram Beyzai, a giant of Persian film and stage, who has died aged 87 while residing in the United States.

A Nation Mourns

The front pages of Iranian newspapers lament his loss, with dissenting figures and those who reflect nostalgically on the pre-revolution period also paying homage to Beyzai.

"His passing is an immense tragedy for the cultural heritage of our country," remarked the exiled prince, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran.

Even though Beyzai's later films were banned in the 1980s by the theocratic government, a number of prominent officials in the current government have also acknowledged his contribution to Iranian culture.

The Teacher of a Generation

Several of the contemporary generation of Iranian filmmakers have acknowledged their debt to him. Award-winning director Jaafar Panahi noted that Beyzai showed them "how to stand up to oblivion."

Beyzai steered clear of overtly political content in his work, both as a playwright and a film director, and always said he tried not to deal in explicit commentary.

But his oeuvre over many decades sets historical, even mythic figures in opposition with oppressive structures of power.

A Cultural Foundation

From a family of celebrated poets, Beyzai was steeped in the deepest traditions of Persian culture from birth.

He first found fame as a theater writer, inspired by ancient myths and ceremonies.

A devotee 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 straddled the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that overthrew him—with each regime ever ready to detect subtext that could be interpreted as criticism.

"Beyzai did not choose the easy way. He endured years of exclusion, enforced quiet, and exile, 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 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 censored in Iran—as were subsequent works he made in that period—but later chosen by film critics as the best Iranian film of all time.

The film was screened in a restored version at this year's Venice Biennale, receiving an award for outstanding feature in the heritage category.

Final Years in Exile

Beyzai finally left Iran in 2010 and spent his later years in the US, where he lectured on Persian studies.

Even after 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.