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Profound homages have been shared for Bahram Beyzai, a colossus of Iranian cinema and theatre, who passed away aged 87 in the US.

A Nation Mourns

The headlines of publications in Iran lament his loss, with opposition voices and those who reflect nostalgically on the Shah era also paying homage to Beyzai.

"This loss is an immense tragedy for the art and culture of our country," said Prince Reza Pahlavi, son of the last Shah of Iran.

Although Beyzai's later films were banned in the 1980s by the theocratic government, a number of prominent officials in the present administration have also acknowledged his legacy to Persian arts.

A Mentor to Filmmakers

Many of the current crop of Persian directors have expressed their gratitude to him. Award-winning director Jaafar Panahi noted that Beyzai showed them "how to stand up to oblivion."

Beyzai steered clear of direct political references in his work, both as a dramatist and a cinematic auteur, and always maintained he tried not to deal in explicit commentary.

But his work over many decades sets historical, even mythic figures in opposition with oppressive religious and political systems.

A Cultural Foundation

Hailing from a lineage of renowned poets, Beyzai was steeped in the deepest traditions of Iranian artistry from birth.

He first rose to prominence as a theater writer, drawing on Persian legend and ritual.

A devotee of cinema, he transitioned to making films in the 1970s.

He won renown as one of the pivotal artists in the groundbreaking movement of Persian film.

Navigating Censorship

His most productive period straddled the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that overthrew him—with both systems ever ready to sniff out hidden messages that could be seen as criticism.

"Beyzai never opted for the path of least resistance. He endured years of exclusion, imposed silence, and exile, but he never abandoned his artistic voice and his convictions," said Jaafar Panahi in his tribute.

A Masterpiece Amidst Conflict

A few years after the 1979 Revolution, he produced what many regard as his magnum opus, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a young child who tries to take refuge from the Iran-Iraq war.

It was banned in Iran—as were other films 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 Biennale, winning an award for outstanding feature in the classics section.

Final Years in Exile

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

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 future for his native land.