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Widespread homages are pouring in for Bahram Beyzai, a giant of Persian film and stage, who has died at the age of 87 while residing in the United States.

Homeland in Mourning

The headlines of publications in Iran mourn his loss, with opposition voices and those who reflect nostalgically on the Shah era also paying homage to Beyzai.

"His passing is a great loss for the cultural heritage of our country," said 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 present administration have also paid tribute his contribution to Iranian culture.

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 taught them "how to stand up to 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 oeuvre over countless years places historical, even mythic figures in opposition with oppressive religious and political systems.

Roots in Tradition

Hailing from a lineage of celebrated poets, Beyzai was steeped in the deepest traditions of Iranian artistry from birth.

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

A lifelong fan of cinema, he moved into filmmaking in the 1970s.

He won renown as one of the pivotal artists in the groundbreaking movement of Persian film.

An Enduring Voice

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 subtext that could be interpreted as criticism.

"Beyzai did not choose the easy way. He endured years of exclusion, enforced quiet, and distance, but he did not give up his language and his beliefs," said Jaafar Panahi in his tribute.

A Masterpiece Amidst Conflict

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

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

The film was shown in a newly remastered print at this year's Venice Film Festival, winning an award for best film in the classics section.

A Hopeful Exile

Beyzai ultimately departed 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 hearing the word "Iran" would still make him emotional—and he continued to hope for a renewed spirit and future for his homeland.