🔗 Share this article

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

A Nation Mourns

The front pages of publications in Iran lament his loss, with dissenting figures and those who reflect nostalgically on the pre-revolution period also paying homage to Beyzai.

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

Although Beyzai's subsequent works were prohibited in the 1980s by the Islamic regime, a host of senior figures in the present administration have also acknowledged his legacy to Persian arts.

A Mentor to Filmmakers

Many of the current crop of Persian directors have acknowledged their debt 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 dramatist and a film director, and always said he tried not to trade in overt messages.

But his work over countless years places archetypal characters in opposition with authoritarian religious and political systems.

A Cultural Foundation

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

He first found fame as a playwright, drawing on Persian legend and ritual.

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

He gained acclaim as one of the key figures in the groundbreaking movement of Persian film.

An Enduring Voice

His most productive period spanned the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that overthrew him—with each regime ever ready to detect hidden messages that could be seen as criticism.

"Beyzai did not choose the path of least resistance. He withstood years of marginalization, imposed silence, and exile, but he never abandoned his language and his convictions," stated the filmmaker 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 young child who tries to find shelter from the devastating conflict.

It was censored 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 screened in a newly remastered print 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.

Although he went into exile, 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 new culture and future for his homeland.