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Profound homages have been shared for the legendary Bahram Beyzai, a colossus of Persian film and stage, who passed away aged 87 while residing in the United States.

Homeland in Mourning

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

Even though Beyzai's later films were prohibited in the 1980s by the Islamic regime, a host of prominent officials in the current government have also paid tribute his legacy to Persian arts.

A Mentor to Filmmakers

Several of the contemporary generation of Persian directors have acknowledged their debt to him. Award-winning director Jaafar Panahi noted that Beyzai taught them "the way to resist oblivion."

Beyzai steered clear of overtly political content in his work, both as a dramatist and a cinematic auteur, and always said he tried not to trade in overt messages.

But his work over many decades places archetypal characters in opposition with authoritarian 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 playwright, inspired by Persian legend and ritual.

A lifelong fan 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 fruitful era straddled the time of the Shah and then the Islamic theocratic forces that overthrew him—with both systems ever ready to sniff out subtext that could be seen as dissent.

"Beyzai never opted for the easy way. He withstood years of exclusion, enforced quiet, and distance, but he did not give up his artistic voice and his convictions," stated the filmmaker in his tribute.

A Masterpiece Amidst Conflict

A few years after the 1979 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 censored in Iran—as were subsequent works he made in that period—but later chosen 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, receiving an award for outstanding feature in the classics section.

A Hopeful Exile

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

Even after he left his homeland, his wife, the actress Mozhdeh Shamsai, said just hearing the word "Iran" would still make him emotional—and he remained ever hopeful for a new culture and future for his native land.