After having to surrender his Academy Award for a security check during a flight across the Atlantic, Pavel Talankin, recent Oscar winner, experienced the loss of his statuette until the airline located it two days later. Talankin, who co-directed the acclaimed documentary “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” was caught off guard when he was told to check his Oscar before boarding a flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport to Frankfurt, Germany, on Wednesday due to security regulations. According to Talankin’s co-director, David Borenstein, a TSA agent deemed the Oscar a potential weapon, as Talankin did not have a bag to carry it on the plane, resulting in the TSA placing the Oscar in a box that failed to reach Frankfurt.
Following Borenstein’s social media post that triggered widespread attention, Lufthansa airline confirmed on Friday that the missing Oscar had been located and was in their possession in Frankfurt. In an official statement, the airline expressed regret for the inconvenience caused and assured that they were coordinating with Talankin for its prompt return, along with an ongoing internal investigation into the incident.
The collaboration between Talankin and Borenstein in creating “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” culminated in winning the Academy Award for best documentary in March, characterized by a poignant acceptance speech during the ceremony. Talankin, portrayed as the “Mr. Nobody” figure in the documentary, had documented his students’ support for Putin’s actions in Ukraine, which he shared with Borenstein, based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Talankin’s plea on stage, conveyed through a translator, urged an end to wars for the sake of the future and children.
As of Friday, the TSA had not responded to inquiries regarding the incident.