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Profound tributes have been shared for the legendary Bahram Beyzai, a colossus of Persian film and stage, who passed away aged 87 in the US.

Homeland in Mourning

The headlines of publications in Iran mourn his loss, with dissenting figures and those who look back fondly on the Shah era also offering their respects to Beyzai.

"This loss 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 banned in the 1980s by the theocratic government, a number of prominent officials in the present administration have also paid tribute his contribution to Persian arts.

The Teacher of a Generation

Several of the contemporary generation of Persian directors have acknowledged their debt to him. Award-winning director Jaafar Panahi noted that Beyzai showed them "how to stand up to oblivion."

Beyzai steered clear of direct political references in his work, both as a playwright and a cinematic auteur, and always maintained he tried not to deal in explicit commentary.

But his oeuvre over many decades places historical, even mythic figures in opposition with authoritarian structures of power.

A Cultural Foundation

Hailing from a lineage of renowned 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 lifelong fan of cinema, he moved into making films in the 1970s.

He won renown as one of the pivotal artists in the new wave of Iranian cinema.

Navigating Censorship

His most fruitful era straddled the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that deposed him—with each regime ever ready to detect hidden messages that could be seen as criticism.

"Beyzai did not choose the easy way. He withstood years of exclusion, imposed silence, and exile, but he did not give up his language 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 take refuge from the Iran-Iraq war.

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

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

Final Years in Exile

Beyzai ultimately departed Iran in 2010 and lived out his final days in the US, where he taught Persian studies.

Although 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 renewed spirit and tomorrow for his native land.