Playwriting in the 1960s In 1968, Beyzai was one of the nine founders of the Iranian Writers' Guild, which was a highly controversial organization in the face of
censorship. In 1969, he was invited to teach at the Theater Department of the College of Fine Arts at the
University of Tehran. He chaired this department from 1972 to 1979. With his readership, many prominent authors and artists started teaching at the department and created the most fruitful period in the history of that department. and
Parviz Sayyad, 1965 Beyzaie's groundbreaking
A Study on Iranian Theatre (Namayesh dar Iran), published in mid-1960s is still considered the most important text on the history of Iranian theater. Beyzaie is also the first scholar in Iran to publish books on
theatre of Japan and
theatre of China. Some of his plays, such as his masterpiece
Death of Yazdgerd, have been translated into numerous languages and performed worldwide.
Death of Yazdgerd has been performed in Iran, France, England, India and the USA, among other countries, and was made into a
film of the same name by Beyzai in 1981.
Death of Yazdgerd and
Kalat Claimed have been translated into English by
Manuchehr Anvar. He was a leading playwright as well as theatre historian, and is often considered the greatest playwright of the
Persian language, and holds a reputation as "The
Shakespeare of Persia".
The 1970s and the outset of a cinematic career In 1969, he began his film career by directing the short film
Amu Sibilou (
Uncle Moustache) followed by "Safar" in 1970. With these films, Beyzai is often considered to be a pioneer of the
Iranian New Wave, a
Persian cinema movement that was started in the late 1960s. Immediately after, in 1971, he made his first feature film
Ragbar (
Downpour) which critics regard to this day as one of the most successful Iranian films ever made. The successful film addresses the late
Parviz Fannizadeh as its central character and protagonist. He produced and directed eight films, including
Qaribe va Meh (Stranger and the Fog) (1974),
Cherike-ye Tara (Ballad of Tara) (1979),
Bashu, the Little Stranger (1986, released in 1989),
Shāyad Vaghti digar (Maybe Another Time) (1988) and
Mosaferan (Travellers) (1992).
Filmmaking in the 1980s In 1981, the revolutionary leaders started the
Iranian Cultural Revolution, as a result of which Beyzaie, among many others, was expelled from the university. He continued writing and making films, though. His screenplay ''Ruz-e Vaqe'e
(The Fateful Day) was adapted into a film in 1995 and another screenplay was adapted into a film named Fasl-e Panjom'' (The fifth season) in 1996, while he also made four of his finest films. He also edited
Ebrahim Hatamikia's
Borj-e Minu (Minoo Tower).
1990–2025 After
Mosaferan, he failed to get a permit to produce several screenplays. In 1995, he left Iran for
Strasbourg at the invitation of the
International Parliament of Writers. Soon however, he returned and staged
The Lady Aoi in Tehran. In 2001, he made his film
Killing Mad Dogs, after which he staged three plays. He left Iran in 2010 at the invitation of
Stanford University, and was the Daryabari Visiting Professor of Iranian Studies, teaching courses in Persian theatre, cinema and mythology. He gave workshops on the
Shahnameh, the history of Iranian performing arts, Iranian and Semitic myths. Beyzai also staged several plays, including his nine-hour
Tarabnameh. ==Cinematic style==