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Profound tributes are pouring in for the legendary Bahram Beyzai, a colossus of Persian film and stage, who passed away at the age of 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 Shah era also paying homage to Beyzai.

"This loss is an immense tragedy for the art and culture of our country," remarked the exiled prince, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran.

Even though Beyzai's later films were prohibited in the 1980s by the theocratic government, a number of senior figures in the present administration have also paid tribute his legacy to Persian arts.

The Teacher of a Generation

Many of the current crop of Iranian filmmakers have acknowledged their debt to him. Award-winning director Jaafar Panahi noted that Beyzai taught them "the way to resist oblivion."

Beyzai avoided overtly political content in his work, both as a dramatist and a cinematic auteur, and always said he tried not to deal in overt messages.

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

A Cultural Foundation

From a family 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 ancient myths and ceremonies.

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

He won renown as one of the key figures in the new wave of Iranian cinema.

Navigating Censorship

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

"Beyzai never opted for the easy way. He withstood 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 magnum opus, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a small boy who tries to take refuge from the devastating conflict.

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

The film was shown 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 Persian studies.

Even after he left his homeland, his wife, the actress Shamsai, said just the sound of the word "Iran" would still make him emotional—and he continued to hope for a renewed spirit and tomorrow for his native land.