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

A Nation Mourns

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

"His passing 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 later films were banned in the 1980s by the theocratic government, a host of prominent officials in the current government have also paid tribute his legacy to Persian arts.

The Teacher of a Generation

Several of the current crop of Persian directors have acknowledged their debt to him. Jaafar Panahi noted that Beyzai showed them "how to stand up to 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 many decades places archetypal characters in conflict with oppressive structures of power.

A Cultural Foundation

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

He first found fame as a theater writer, inspired by Persian legend and ritual.

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.

An Enduring Voice

His most productive period straddled the time of the Shah and then the Islamic theocratic forces that deposed him—with both systems constantly poised to detect subtext that could be interpreted as criticism.

"Beyzai never opted for the path of least resistance. He withstood years of exclusion, imposed silence, and exile, but he never abandoned his artistic voice and his convictions," said the filmmaker in his tribute.

A Masterpiece Amidst Conflict

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

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

The film was screened in a newly remastered print at this year's Venice Biennale, winning an award for outstanding feature in the heritage category.

Final Years in Exile

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

Although he left his homeland, his wife, the actress Mozhdeh Shamsai, said just hearing the word "Iran" would still bring tears to his eyes—and he remained ever hopeful for a new culture and tomorrow for his homeland.