Profound homages are pouring in for the legendary Bahram Beyzai, a giant of Iranian cinema and theatre, who passed away at the age of 87 while residing in the United States.
The front pages of publications in Iran mourn his loss, with opposition voices and those who look back fondly on the pre-revolution period also paying homage to Beyzai.
"This loss is an immense tragedy for the cultural heritage of our country," said Prince Reza Pahlavi, son of the last Shah of Iran.
Although Beyzai's subsequent works were banned in the 1980s by the theocratic government, a number of senior figures in the present administration have also paid tribute his contribution to Persian arts.
Many of the current crop of Iranian filmmakers have acknowledged their debt to him. Jaafar Panahi noted that Beyzai taught them "the way to resist oblivion."
Beyzai avoided direct political references in his work, both as a dramatist and a film director, and always maintained he tried not to deal in overt messages.
But his work over many decades places historical, even mythic figures in opposition with oppressive structures of power.
From a family of celebrated poets, Beyzai was imbued in the deepest traditions of Persian culture from birth.
He first found fame as a playwright, drawing on Persian legend and ritual.
A lifelong fan of cinema, he moved into making films in the 1970s.
He gained acclaim as one of the key figures in the groundbreaking movement of Persian film.
His most productive period straddled the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that deposed him—with each regime ever ready to sniff out hidden messages that could be interpreted as criticism.
"Beyzai did not choose the path of least resistance. He endured years of marginalization, enforced quiet, and distance, but he never abandoned his language and his beliefs," said Jaafar Panahi in his tribute.
A few years after the Iranian Revolution, he produced what many consider his masterpiece, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a young child 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 best Iranian film of all time.
The film was shown in a restored version at this year's Venice Biennale, receiving an award for outstanding feature in the classics section.
Beyzai finally left Iran in 2010 and lived out his final days in the US, where he lectured on Persian studies.
Even after he went into exile, his wife, the actress Mozhdeh Shamsai, said just the sound of the word "Iran" would still bring tears to his eyes—and he continued to hope for a renewed spirit and future for his native land.
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