After winning an Academy Award for co-directing the documentary “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” Pavel Talankin faced a unique situation when he had to check his Oscar on a trans-Atlantic flight from New York to Frankfurt. The Transportation Security Administration deemed the statue a potential weapon, leading to it being placed in a box and sent to the plane’s cargo hold. However, the Oscar failed to reach its intended destination.
Following a social media post by Talankin’s co-director David Borenstein, highlighting the missing Oscar, Lufthansa airline announced on Friday that the lost statuette had been located and was safely in their possession in Frankfurt. The airline expressed regret for the inconvenience caused and assured that arrangements were being made for its prompt return to Talankin.
The collaborative efforts of Talankin and Borenstein in creating “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” were recognized with an Academy Award for best documentary in March. The film depicted Talankin’s experiences as a teacher in Russia capturing his students’ involvement in promoting Putin’s actions in Ukraine. Their acceptance speech at the ceremony emphasized a plea for peace and an end to conflicts.
While Lufthansa continues its internal review of the incident, the TSA has not yet responded to inquiries regarding the handling of the Oscar at the airport.