🔗 Share this article

Profound homages are pouring in for the legendary Bahram Beyzai, a giant of Iranian cinema and theatre, who has died aged 87 while residing in the United States.

Homeland in Mourning

The headlines of Iranian newspapers mourn his loss, with opposition voices and those who look back fondly on the Shah era also offering their respects 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.

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 Iranian culture.

A Mentor to Filmmakers

Many of the current crop of Persian directors have expressed their gratitude to him. Jaafar Panahi said that Beyzai taught 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 maintained he tried not to deal in explicit commentary.

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

Roots in Tradition

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

He first rose to prominence as a playwright, 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 pivotal artists in the new wave of Persian film.

An Enduring Voice

His most fruitful era straddled the time of the Shah and then the Islamic theocratic forces that overthrew him—with each regime ever ready to sniff out hidden messages that could be seen as dissent.

"Beyzai never opted for the easy way. He endured years of marginalization, enforced quiet, and exile, but he never abandoned his language and his beliefs," stated Jaafar Panahi in his tribute.

A Masterpiece Amidst Conflict

A few years after the 1979 Revolution, he produced what many consider his masterpiece, 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 subsequent works he made in that time—but later chosen by film critics as the greatest Iranian film of all time.

The film was shown in a restored version at this year's Venice Film Festival, winning an award for best film in the heritage category.

Final Years in Exile

Beyzai finally left Iran in 2010 and lived out his final days in the US, where he taught Persian studies.

Even after 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 renewed spirit and future for his native land.