đ Share this article Persian Film Titan, Bahram Beyzai, Passes Away At the Age of 87 Beyzai pictured alongside his spouse, the actress Mozhdeh Shamsai Profound tributes have been shared for Bahram Beyzai, a colossus of Iranian cinema and theatre, who has died at the age of 87 while residing in the United States. A Nation Mourns The headlines of publications in Iran mourn his loss, with dissenting figures and those who look back fondly on the pre-revolution period also offering their respects to Beyzai. "This loss is a great loss for the art and culture 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 contribution to Persian arts. The Teacher of a Generation Many of the contemporary generation of Persian directors have expressed their gratitude to him. Jaafar Panahi said that Beyzai showed them "how to stand up to oblivion." Beyzai avoided overtly political content in his work, both as a playwright and a film director, and always said he tried not to trade in explicit commentary. But his oeuvre over countless years places historical, even mythic figures in conflict with authoritarian structures of power. Roots in Tradition From a family of renowned poets, Beyzai was imbued in the deepest traditions of Iranian artistry from birth. He first found fame as a playwright, drawing on ancient myths and ceremonies. A devotee of cinema, he moved into making films in the 1970s. He gained acclaim as one of the pivotal artists in the new wave of Persian film. Navigating Censorship His most fruitful era straddled the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that deposed himâwith both systems ever ready to sniff out subtext that could be interpreted as criticism. "Beyzai did not choose the easy way. He withstood years of exclusion, imposed silence, and exile, but he never abandoned his artistic voice and his beliefs," said Jaafar Panahi in his tribute. The Little Stranger 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 Iran-Iraq war. It was banned in Iranâas were subsequent works he made in that periodâbut later chosen by critics as the best Iranian film of all time. The film was screened 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 finally left Iran in 2010 and spent his later years in the US, where he lectured on Persian studies. Although he left his homeland, his wife, the actress Shamsai, said just the sound of the word "Iran" would still bring tears to his eyesâand he continued to hope for a new culture and future for his homeland.