Profound tributes have been shared for the legendary Bahram Beyzai, a giant of Iranian cinema and theatre, who has died at the age of 87 in the US.
The headlines of publications in Iran mourn his loss, with opposition voices and those who reflect nostalgically on the pre-revolution period also paying homage to Beyzai.
"This loss is a great loss for the cultural heritage of our country," said the exiled prince, son of the last Shah of Iran.
Although Beyzai's subsequent works were prohibited in the 1980s by the Islamic regime, a number of senior figures in the present administration have also acknowledged his contribution to Iranian culture.
Several of the current crop of Persian directors have acknowledged their debt to him. Jaafar Panahi said that Beyzai taught 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 maintained he tried not to deal in overt messages.
But his oeuvre over many decades sets archetypal characters in conflict with authoritarian religious and political systems.
From a family of renowned poets, Beyzai was imbued in the richest heritage of Iranian artistry from birth.
He first found fame as a playwright, inspired by ancient myths and ceremonies.
A devotee of cinema, he transitioned to filmmaking in the 1970s.
He won renown as one of the key figures in the new wave of Persian film.
His most productive period spanned the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that deposed him—with both systems ever ready to sniff out subtext that could be seen as dissent.
"Beyzai never opted for the path of least resistance. He endured years of exclusion, imposed silence, and distance, but he did not give up his language and his beliefs," said Jaafar Panahi in his tribute.
A few years after the 1979 Revolution, he produced what many consider his magnum opus, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a small boy who tries to take refuge from the devastating conflict.
It was censored 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 screened in a newly remastered print at this year's Venice Film Festival, receiving an award for best film in the heritage category.
Beyzai finally left Iran in 2010 and spent his later years in the US, where he taught Iranian culture.
Even after he left his homeland, his wife, the actress Mozhdeh Shamsai, said just hearing the word "Iran" would still make him emotional—and he remained ever hopeful for a new culture and future for his native land.
