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Widespread tributes have been shared for Bahram Beyzai, a colossus of Iranian cinema and theatre, who has died aged 87 while residing in the United States.

Homeland in Mourning

The headlines of Iranian newspapers lament his loss, with dissenting figures and those who look back fondly 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 the exiled prince, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran.

Even though Beyzai's later films were banned in the 1980s by the theocratic government, a number of prominent officials in the current government have also acknowledged his legacy to Iranian culture.

The Teacher of a Generation

Several of the current crop of Iranian filmmakers have expressed their gratitude to him. Award-winning director Jaafar Panahi said that Beyzai taught them "how to stand up to oblivion."

Beyzai avoided direct political references in his work, both as a playwright and a cinematic auteur, and always said he tried not to trade in explicit commentary.

But his work over many decades places archetypal characters in opposition with oppressive religious and political systems.

A Cultural Foundation

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

He first found fame as a playwright, drawing on Persian legend and ritual.

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

He gained acclaim as one of the pivotal artists in the groundbreaking movement of Persian film.

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 detect hidden messages that could be interpreted as dissent.

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

A Masterpiece Amidst Conflict

A few years after the 1979 Revolution, he produced what many consider his masterpiece, 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 period—but later voted by film critics as the greatest 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 heritage category.

A Hopeful Exile

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

Even after 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 continued to hope for a renewed spirit and future for his homeland.