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Profound tributes are pouring in for Bahram Beyzai, a colossus of Persian film and stage, who has died aged 87 in the US.

A Nation Mourns

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 offering their respects to Beyzai.

"His passing is a great loss for the cultural heritage of our country," remarked the exiled prince, son of the last Shah of Iran.

Although Beyzai's subsequent works were prohibited in the 1980s by the theocratic government, a number of prominent officials in the present administration have also acknowledged his legacy to Iranian culture.

The Teacher of a Generation

Several of the contemporary generation 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 playwright and a film director, and always maintained he tried not to deal in overt messages.

But his work over many decades sets archetypal characters in conflict with authoritarian structures of power.

Roots in Tradition

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

He first rose to prominence as a playwright, inspired by ancient myths and ceremonies.

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

He won renown as one of the pivotal artists in the new wave of Persian film.

Navigating Censorship

His most productive period spanned the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that overthrew him—with both systems ever ready to sniff out hidden messages that could be seen as dissent.

"Beyzai did not choose the path of least resistance. He endured years of exclusion, enforced quiet, and distance, but he never abandoned his language and his beliefs," stated Jaafar Panahi in his tribute.

The Little Stranger

A few years after the 1979 Revolution, he produced what many consider his magnum opus, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a young child who tries to take refuge from the devastating conflict.

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

The film was shown in a restored version at this year's Venice Biennale, winning an award for best film in the classics section.

A Hopeful Exile

Beyzai finally left Iran in 2010 and spent his later years in the US, where he lectured on Iranian culture.

Even after he left his homeland, 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.