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Widespread homages have been shared for Bahram Beyzai, a giant of Iranian cinema and theatre, who passed away at the age of 87 in the US.

A Nation Mourns

The headlines of Iranian newspapers mourn his loss, with opposition voices and those who look back fondly on the pre-revolution period also paying homage to Beyzai.

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

Even though Beyzai's subsequent works were prohibited in the 1980s by the theocratic government, a host of prominent officials in the present administration have also paid tribute his legacy to Persian arts.

A Mentor to Filmmakers

Several of the contemporary generation of Iranian filmmakers have acknowledged their debt to him. Jaafar Panahi noted that Beyzai showed them "how to stand up to oblivion."

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

But his oeuvre over many decades sets archetypal characters in conflict with oppressive religious and political systems.

A Cultural Foundation

Hailing from a lineage of renowned poets, Beyzai was steeped in the richest heritage of Persian culture from birth.

He first found fame as a theater writer, drawing on ancient myths and ceremonies.

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

He gained acclaim as one of the key figures in the groundbreaking movement of Iranian cinema.

Navigating Censorship

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

"Beyzai did not choose the easy way. He endured years of marginalization, imposed silence, and distance, but he never abandoned his language and his convictions," said Jaafar Panahi in his tribute.

A Masterpiece Amidst Conflict

A few years after the Iranian Revolution, he produced what many regard as 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 time—but later chosen by film critics as the best Iranian film of all time.

The film was shown in a newly remastered print at this year's Venice Biennale, winning an award for outstanding feature in the classics section.

Final Years in Exile

Beyzai ultimately departed 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 Shamsai, said just hearing the word "Iran" would still make him emotional—and he continued to hope for a renewed spirit and tomorrow for his homeland.