Iranian Cinema and Theatre Icon Bahram Beyzai Dies at 87 in the US
Bahram Beyzai, a prominent figure in Iranian cinema and theatre, has died at age 87 in the United States.
Tributes have come from across Iran's political spectrum, including opposition voices and former supporters of the Shah. Prince Reza Pahlavi described Beyzai's passing as a significant blow to Iran's art and culture. Senior figures within Iran's current government also acknowledged his enduring contributions to Iranian culture.
Filmmaker Jaafar Panahi credited Beyzai with influencing a generation of younger filmmakers and praised his steadfast resolve in standing up to oblivion. Beyzai's artistic works generally avoided direct political messaging but depicted conflicts between mythic or historical figures and oppressive religious or political systems.
Beyzai rose to fame as a playwright before becoming a leading figure in the Iranian New Wave cinema movement, with a career that spanned both the Shah's era and the subsequent Islamic regime. His 1980s masterpiece Bashu, the Little Stranger was banned in Iran for many years but later acclaimed by critics as Iran’s greatest film; a restored version was shown at the Venice Film Festival where it won the prize in the classics section.
He left Iran in 2010 and spent his later years in the US teaching Iranian culture. His wife, actress Mozhdeh Shamsai, said Iran would always move him deeply and that he remained hopeful for the emergence of a new culture and future for Iran.
