Bahram Beyzai

With over one hundred plays, film scripts, and articles on literature and dramatic arts, Beyzai is one of the most productive Iranian artists. He wrote his most famous narratives, Aarash and Azhdahak in his early teens. His vast knowledge of Naqqali and Ta’zieh allowed him to revive these two major forms of traditional Iranian narrative arts and use them as the foundation for many of his later works.
His writings are distinguished by his unique mythical, symbolic, and poetic style. His early works, such as The Eighth Voyage of Sinbad (1964), The Serpent King (1966), and The Court of Balkh (1968) are also known for employing a large number of actors on stage.
He made his first short film Uncle Moustache in 1970. His first feature film Downpour (1971) is considered by many critics to be the best film in the history of Iranian cinema. Before the 1979 Revolution he made three more films: “The Stranger and the Fog” (1973), “Crow” (1976), and “Ballad of Tara” (1979). His films after the revolution include “Death of the King” (1982), “Bashu, the Little Stranger” (1985), “Some Other Time Maybe” (1987), “The Travellers” (1992), “Dialogue with the Wind” (1998), “Killing the Rabid” (2001), and “When All Are Sleeping” (2009) some of which have never been released. Tirgan will feature a screening of “Death of the King” (in Persian with English subtitle).