Marjane Satrapi, who survived revolution and exile, died of a broken heart at 56
Her drawings looked like something a child might make. They contained things no child should ever have to know. That tension was the whole art.
Bahram Beyzai, the towering figure of Iranian art, has passed away at the age of 87 in the United States.
Even Prince Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s last Shah, called Beyzai’s passing “a great loss for the art and culture of our country.” Interestingly, voices from today’s Iranian government have also paid tribute.
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Message from Prince Reza Pahlavi on the passing of Bahram Beyzaie:
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“The passing of Bahram Beyzaie, one of Iran’s national cultural luminaries in cinema, theater, and literature, is a great loss for our country’s culture and arts.
The late Beyzaie regarded art as a national… https://t.co/G0SPYc3C6K pic.x.com/fsR59FpeoT
— Reza Pahlavi Communications (@PahlaviComms) December 27, 2025
Filmmakers who grew up watching his work describe him as a teacher and a guide. Jaafar Panahi, the celebrated director whose latest film recently won the top prize at Cannes, said Beyzai showed them “how to stand up to oblivion.”
Also Read: Jafar Panahi wins big at Gotham Awards, dedicates honours to silenced filmmakers after new prison sentence
The man who spoke without words
Beyzai was never one to make overt political statements. As both playwright and filmmaker, he shied away from direct commentary. Yet, his stories often placed historical and mythic figures against oppressive religious and political systems crafting a subtle but powerful critique.
From a family of renowned poets, Beyzai was steeped in Persian culture from birth. His early fame came as a playwright, weaving tales drawn from Persian legends and rituals.
Cinema however became his new love in the 1970s, and he quickly became one of the key figures in the Iranian New Wave of filmmaking.
A life between eras
His most productive years bridged the rule of the Shah and the rise of Iran’s Islamic regime. Both governments, wary of dissent, scrutinized his work, searching for hidden critiques.
Beyzai however never compromised his artistic vision. As Panahi reflected, “Beyzai did not choose the easy way. He endured years of exclusion, imposed silence, and distance, but he did not give up his language and his beliefs.”
A masterpiece in exile
One of Beyzai’s most celebrated works, ‘Bashu, the Little Stranger’, tells the story of a small boy seeking refuge from the Iran-Iraq war. Created in the years following the Iranian Revolution, the film was initially banned in Iran.
Yet critics later hailed it as the greatest Iranian film of all time. A restored version screened at this year’s Venice Film Festival even won the award for best film in the classics section, introducing Beyzai’s vision to a new generation.
Final years and lasting legacy
Beyzai left Iran in 2010. He spent his later years in the United States. There he continued to teach and inspire students in Iranian culture. Despite distance, his connection to his homeland never wavered.
His wife actress Mozhdeh Shamsai revealed that even hearing word “Iran” could bring tears to his eyes. Yet he remained hopeful always believing in future where Iranian art and culture could thrive.
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