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Widespread tributes are pouring in for Bahram Beyzai, a giant of Iranian cinema and theatre, who has died aged 87 in the US.

A Nation Mourns

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

"This loss is an immense tragedy for the cultural heritage of our country," remarked Prince Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran.

Although Beyzai's later films were prohibited in the 1980s by the Islamic regime, a number of senior figures in the present administration have also paid tribute his legacy to Iranian culture.

The Teacher of a Generation

Many of the current crop of Persian directors have acknowledged their debt to him. Jaafar Panahi said 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 said he tried not to trade in explicit commentary.

But his oeuvre over countless years sets archetypal characters in opposition with oppressive structures of power.

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, inspired by Persian legend and ritual.

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

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

Navigating Censorship

His most fruitful era straddled the time of the Shah and then the Islamic theocratic forces that overthrew him—with each regime constantly poised to detect hidden messages that could be seen as criticism.

"Beyzai did not choose the path of least resistance. He withstood years of marginalization, enforced quiet, and distance, but he never abandoned his language and his convictions," stated Jaafar Panahi in his tribute.

The Little Stranger

A few years after the Iranian Revolution, he produced what many regard as his magnum opus, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a young child 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 voted by critics as the greatest Iranian film of all time.

The film was screened in a restored version at this year's Venice Film Festival, receiving an award for best film in the heritage category.

A Hopeful Exile

Beyzai finally left Iran in 2010 and lived out his final days in the US, where he lectured on Iranian culture.

Although he went into exile, 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 tomorrow for his native land.