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

Homeland in Mourning

The headlines of publications in Iran lament his loss, with dissenting figures and those who reflect nostalgically on the pre-revolution period also offering their respects to Beyzai.

"This loss is a great loss for the cultural heritage of our country," remarked Prince Reza Pahlavi, son of the last Shah of Iran.

Even though Beyzai's subsequent works were banned in the 1980s by the Islamic regime, a host of prominent officials in the current government have also acknowledged his contribution to Persian arts.

A Mentor to Filmmakers

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 overtly political content in his work, both as a dramatist and a film director, and always maintained he tried not to deal in explicit commentary.

But his work over countless years places archetypal characters in opposition with authoritarian structures of power.

A Cultural Foundation

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

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

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

He gained acclaim as one of the key figures in the groundbreaking movement of Iranian cinema.

An Enduring Voice

His most fruitful era spanned the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that overthrew him—with both systems ever ready to detect subtext that could be seen as dissent.

"Beyzai did not choose the easy way. He withstood years of marginalization, imposed silence, and exile, but he never abandoned his language and his convictions," stated Jaafar Panahi in his tribute.

The Little Stranger

A few years after the 1979 Revolution, he produced what many regard as his masterpiece, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a small boy who tries to find shelter from the devastating conflict.

It was banned in Iran—as were subsequent works he made in that time—but later chosen by critics as the best 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 finally left Iran in 2010 and spent his later years in the US, where he taught Iranian culture.

Although he left his homeland, his wife, the actress Shamsai, said just the sound of the word "Iran" would still make him emotional—and he continued to hope for a new culture and future for his native land.