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Profound tributes have been shared for the legendary Bahram Beyzai, a colossus of Persian film and stage, who has died at the age of 87 while residing in the United States.

A Nation Mourns

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

"His passing is an immense tragedy for the art and culture of our country," said Prince Reza Pahlavi, son of the last Shah of Iran.

Although Beyzai's later films were banned in the 1980s by the theocratic government, a number of senior figures in the current government have also paid tribute his contribution 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 said that Beyzai showed them "how to stand up to oblivion."

Beyzai avoided direct political references 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 sets archetypal characters in opposition with authoritarian religious and political systems.

Roots in Tradition

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

He first rose to prominence as a playwright, drawing on Persian legend and ritual.

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

He gained acclaim as one of the key figures in the new wave of Persian film.

An Enduring Voice

His most productive period straddled the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that overthrew him—with both systems constantly poised to detect hidden messages that could be interpreted as dissent.

"Beyzai did not choose the path of least resistance. He endured years of exclusion, enforced quiet, and exile, but he never abandoned his artistic voice and his convictions," said Jaafar Panahi in his tribute.

The Little Stranger

A few years after the Iranian Revolution, he produced what many consider his masterpiece, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a small boy 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 voted by 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 spent his later years in the US, where he taught Persian studies.

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 new culture and tomorrow for his homeland.