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Profound tributes are pouring in for Bahram Beyzai, a giant of Iranian cinema and theatre, who passed away at the age of 87 while residing in the United States.

Homeland in Mourning

The front pages of Iranian newspapers mourn his loss, with opposition voices and those who look back fondly on the pre-revolution period also offering their respects to Beyzai.

"This loss is a great loss for the art and culture of our country," said Prince Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran.

Even though Beyzai's later films were banned in the 1980s by the theocratic government, a number of prominent officials in the current government have also paid tribute his contribution to Iranian culture.

A Mentor to Filmmakers

Many of the contemporary generation of Iranian filmmakers have expressed their gratitude to him. Award-winning director Jaafar Panahi noted that Beyzai showed them "how to stand up to oblivion."

Beyzai avoided overtly political content in his work, both as a playwright and a cinematic auteur, and always said he tried not to deal in overt messages.

But his work over countless years sets archetypal characters in conflict with authoritarian structures of power.

A Cultural Foundation

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

He first found fame as a playwright, drawing on ancient myths and ceremonies.

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

He gained acclaim as one of the pivotal artists in the groundbreaking movement of Iranian cinema.

An Enduring Voice

His most productive period spanned the time of the Shah and then the Islamic theocratic forces that overthrew him—with each regime ever ready to detect subtext that could be seen as dissent.

"Beyzai never opted for the easy way. He endured years of marginalization, enforced quiet, and exile, but he did not give up his language and his convictions," said Jaafar Panahi in his tribute.

The Little Stranger

A few years after the 1979 Revolution, he produced what many regard as his magnum opus, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a small boy who tries to take refuge from the Iran-Iraq war.

It was banned in Iran—as were subsequent works he made in that time—but later chosen by film 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, receiving an award for best film in the heritage category.

Final Years in 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 renewed spirit and future for his native land.