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Widespread tributes have been shared for the legendary Bahram Beyzai, a giant of Iranian cinema and theatre, who passed away at the age of 87 while residing in the United States.

A Nation Mourns

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

"His passing is a great loss for the art and culture of our country," remarked Prince Reza Pahlavi, son of the last Shah of Iran.

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

The Teacher of a Generation

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

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

But his work over countless years places archetypal characters in opposition with authoritarian structures of power.

A Cultural Foundation

From a family of celebrated poets, Beyzai was imbued in the deepest traditions of Iranian artistry from birth.

He first found fame as a theater writer, drawing on ancient myths and ceremonies.

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

He won renown as one of the key figures in the groundbreaking movement of Iranian cinema.

An Enduring Voice

His most productive period straddled the time of the Shah and then the Islamic theocratic forces that deposed him—with both systems ever ready to detect hidden messages that could be interpreted as criticism.

"Beyzai did not choose the easy way. He withstood years of exclusion, enforced quiet, and distance, but he never abandoned his artistic voice and his beliefs," said the filmmaker in his tribute.

A Masterpiece Amidst Conflict

A few years after the Iranian Revolution, he produced what many regard as his masterpiece, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a young child who tries to find shelter from the Iran-Iraq war.

It was banned in Iran—as were other films he made in that time—but later voted by film 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, receiving 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 lectured on Persian studies.

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 renewed spirit and future for his homeland.