Persian Cinema Giant, Bahram Beyzai, Passes Away Aged 87

Widespread tributes are pouring in for Bahram Beyzai, a giant of Persian film and stage, who has died aged 87 while residing in the United States.

A Nation Mourns

The headlines of Iranian newspapers lament his loss, with opposition voices and those who reflect nostalgically on the pre-revolution period also paying homage to Beyzai.

"This loss is a great loss for the cultural heritage of our country," remarked Prince Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran.

Although Beyzai's later films were banned in the 1980s by the Islamic regime, a host of senior figures in the present administration have also paid tribute his contribution to Iranian culture.

The Teacher of a Generation

Many of the contemporary generation of Persian directors have expressed their gratitude to him. Award-winning director Jaafar Panahi said that Beyzai showed them "how to stand up to oblivion."

Beyzai steered clear of direct political references in his work, both as a dramatist and a film director, and always said he tried not to deal in explicit commentary.

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

Roots in Tradition

Hailing from a lineage of celebrated poets, Beyzai was imbued in the deepest traditions of Persian culture from birth.

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

A lifelong fan of cinema, he moved into making films in the 1970s.

He won renown as one of the key figures in the groundbreaking movement of Persian film.

An Enduring Voice

His most productive period straddled the time of the Shah and then the Islamic theocratic forces that overthrew him—with both systems constantly poised to sniff out subtext that could be seen as criticism.

"Beyzai never opted for the path of least resistance. He endured years of marginalization, imposed silence, and exile, but he never abandoned his artistic voice and his beliefs," said Jaafar Panahi in his tribute.

A Masterpiece Amidst Conflict

A few years after the Iranian 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 other films he made in that period—but later chosen 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 Biennale, winning an award for best film in the classics section.

Final Years in Exile

Beyzai ultimately departed 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 the sound of the word "Iran" would still make him emotional—and he continued to hope for a new culture and tomorrow for his native land.