🔗 Share this article

Widespread homages are pouring in for Bahram Beyzai, a colossus of Iranian cinema and theatre, who passed away at the age of 87 in the US.

Homeland in Mourning

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

"This loss is a great loss for the art and culture of our country," said the exiled prince, son of the last Shah of Iran.

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

The Teacher of a Generation

Many of the contemporary generation of Iranian filmmakers have acknowledged their debt to him. Award-winning director Jaafar Panahi noted that Beyzai taught them "how to stand up to oblivion."

Beyzai avoided overtly political content in his work, both as a dramatist and a film director, and always said he tried not to deal in overt messages.

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

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 theater writer, inspired by Persian legend and ritual.

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

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

Navigating Censorship

His most productive period straddled the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that deposed him—with both systems ever ready to detect subtext that could be interpreted as dissent.

"Beyzai did not choose the path of least resistance. He endured years of marginalization, enforced quiet, and exile, but he did not give up his language and his convictions," stated Jaafar Panahi in his tribute.

The Little Stranger

A few years after the Iranian Revolution, he produced what many regard as his magnum opus, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a small boy who tries to take refuge from the devastating conflict.

It was banned in Iran—as were other films he made in that period—but later voted by film critics as the greatest Iranian film of all time.

The film was shown in a newly remastered print at this year's Venice Biennale, winning an award for best film in the heritage category.

A Hopeful Exile

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

Even after he left his homeland, his wife, the actress Mozhdeh Shamsai, said just hearing the word "Iran" would still bring tears to his eyes—and he continued to hope for a renewed spirit and tomorrow for his native land.