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Widespread homages have been shared for Bahram Beyzai, a giant of Persian film and stage, who has died aged 87 in the US.

A Nation Mourns

The headlines of Iranian newspapers mourn his loss, with opposition voices and those who look back fondly on the Shah era also offering their respects to Beyzai.

"His passing is an immense tragedy for the art and culture of our country," remarked the exiled prince, 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 prominent officials in the current government have also acknowledged his contribution to Persian arts.

The Teacher of a Generation

Many of the contemporary generation of Persian directors 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 film director, and always maintained he tried not to trade in overt messages.

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

A Cultural Foundation

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

He first found fame as a playwright, inspired by ancient myths and ceremonies.

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

He gained acclaim as one of the pivotal artists in the groundbreaking movement of Iranian cinema.

Navigating Censorship

His most fruitful era straddled 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, enforced quiet, and distance, but he did not give up his artistic voice and his convictions," stated the filmmaker in his tribute.

The Little Stranger

A few years after the Iranian Revolution, he produced what many consider his magnum opus, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a young child who tries to find shelter from the Iran-Iraq war.

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

The film was screened 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 spent his later years in the US, where he taught Iranian culture.

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 continued to hope for a new culture and future for his native land.