Recommendations of the Editorial team
Some well-intentioned advice: It’s better not to pack the Oscar in your hand luggage.
The Oscar statuette of Pavel Talankin, co-director of Mr. Nobody Against Putin, disappeared without a trace from New York’s JFK Airport on his return trip to Europe. Talankin had packed the award in his carry-on luggage – but was stopped by the TSA. After that the Oscar was gone.
According to David Borenstein, the documentary’s director, who detailed the incident on Instagram, the TSA confiscated the statuette because it “could be used as a weapon.” “Pavel didn’t have a checked bag with him, so TSA packed the Oscar in a box and sent it to the hold of the plane,” Borenstein wrote. The statuette was then lost by the airline Lufthansa – it “never arrived in Frankfurt”.
Lufthansa finds the Oscar
Lufthansa has since confirmed the Oscar’s safe arrival in the German city. “The Oscar statuette has been found and is safely in our care in Frankfurt,” the airline told the BBC. “We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused and have apologized to the owner. The careful and safe handling of our guests’ luggage is our top priority.” The award will be returned to Talankin “as soon as possible.”
In his original post, Borenstein questioned why Talankin had to give up the statuette in the first place. “I’ve researched and haven’t found a single other case where someone was forced to give up an Oscar. Would Pavel have been treated the same way if he were a well-known actor? Or a fluent English speaker?” he wrote.
A strange story – undoubtedly. Since the two won the award for best documentary at the Oscars in March 2026, Talankin has proudly carried his statuette with him. He was recently seen with it in Paris.