Iranian Film Giant, Bahram Beyzai, Dies Aged 87

Widespread tributes have been shared for Bahram Beyzai, a giant of Iranian cinema and theatre, who has died aged 87 in the US.

A Nation Mourns

The front pages of Iranian newspapers lament his loss, with opposition voices and those who reflect nostalgically on the pre-revolution period also offering their respects to Beyzai.

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

Even though Beyzai's later films were prohibited in the 1980s by the Islamic regime, a host of senior figures in the present administration have also acknowledged his legacy to Iranian culture.

A Mentor to Filmmakers

Several of the contemporary generation of Persian directors have acknowledged their debt to him. Jaafar Panahi said that Beyzai showed them "the way to resist oblivion."

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

But his work over countless years places historical, even mythic figures in opposition with authoritarian structures of power.

A Cultural Foundation

Hailing from a lineage of celebrated poets, Beyzai was steeped in the richest heritage of Iranian artistry from birth.

He first found fame as a playwright, inspired by Persian legend and ritual.

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

He gained acclaim as one of the pivotal artists in the new wave of Persian film.

An Enduring Voice

His most fruitful era spanned the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that deposed him—with each regime constantly poised to detect hidden messages that could be interpreted as dissent.

"Beyzai did not choose the path of least resistance. He withstood years of exclusion, enforced quiet, and distance, but he did not give up his artistic voice and his beliefs," said the filmmaker in his tribute.

The Little Stranger

A few years after the 1979 Revolution, he produced what many regard as his magnum opus, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a young child who tries to take refuge from the devastating conflict.

It was banned in Iran—as were subsequent works he made in that period—but later chosen by film critics as the best Iranian film of all time.

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

A Hopeful Exile

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

Although he went into exile, his wife, the actress Mozhdeh Shamsai, said just the sound of the word "Iran" would still make him emotional—and he remained ever hopeful for a renewed spirit and future for his native land.