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Profound tributes are pouring in for the legendary Bahram Beyzai, a giant of Iranian cinema and theatre, 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 opposition voices and those who look back fondly on the Shah era also paying homage to Beyzai.

"His passing is a great loss for the cultural heritage of our country," said Prince Reza Pahlavi, son of the last Shah of Iran.

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

A Mentor to Filmmakers

Several of the current crop of Persian directors have expressed their gratitude to him. Jaafar Panahi said that Beyzai showed them "the way to resist oblivion."

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

But his work over countless years places archetypal characters in conflict with oppressive structures of power.

A Cultural Foundation

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

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

A devotee of cinema, he moved into filmmaking in the 1970s.

He won renown as one of the key figures in the new wave of Persian film.

Navigating Censorship

His most fruitful era spanned the time of the Shah and then the Islamic theocratic forces that overthrew him—with each regime constantly poised to sniff out hidden messages that could be seen as criticism.

"Beyzai did not choose the easy way. He endured years of exclusion, enforced quiet, and exile, but he did not give up his language and his beliefs," stated the filmmaker in his tribute.

The Little Stranger

A few years after the 1979 Revolution, he produced what many consider his magnum opus, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a small boy who tries to find shelter from the devastating conflict.

It was banned in Iran—as were other films he made in that time—but later voted by critics as the best Iranian film of all time.

The film was shown in a restored version at this year's Venice Biennale, winning an award for outstanding feature in the heritage category.

Final Years in Exile

Beyzai ultimately departed Iran in 2010 and lived out his final days in the US, where he lectured on Iranian culture.

Even after 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 tomorrow for his native land.