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Profound homages are pouring in for the legendary Bahram Beyzai, a colossus of Iranian cinema and theatre, who has died aged 87 in the US.

Homeland in Mourning

The front pages of publications in Iran mourn his loss, with opposition voices and those who look back fondly on the Shah era also paying homage to Beyzai.

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

Even though Beyzai's later films were prohibited in the 1980s by the theocratic government, a host of senior figures in the current government have also acknowledged his contribution to Iranian culture.

A Mentor to Filmmakers

Many of the current crop of Persian directors have expressed their gratitude 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 playwright and a film director, and always maintained he tried not to trade in overt messages.

But his work over many decades places historical, even mythic figures in opposition with oppressive religious and political systems.

A Cultural Foundation

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

He first rose to prominence as a playwright, drawing on ancient myths and ceremonies.

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

He gained acclaim as one of the key figures in the new wave of Iranian cinema.

Navigating Censorship

His most fruitful era spanned the time of the Shah and then the Islamic theocratic forces that overthrew him—with each regime ever ready to sniff out subtext that could be interpreted as criticism.

"Beyzai never opted for the path of least resistance. He endured years of marginalization, imposed silence, and distance, but he did not give up his artistic voice and his beliefs," said the filmmaker 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 Iran-Iraq war.

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

The film was screened in a newly remastered print at this year's Venice Biennale, receiving an award for best film in the heritage category.

A Hopeful Exile

Beyzai ultimately departed Iran in 2010 and spent his later years in the US, where he taught Persian studies.

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 remained ever hopeful for a new culture and future for his native land.