The missing Oscar statuette belonging to Pavel Talankin, winner of the Best Documentary Feature for "Mr Nobody Against Putin," has been located, according to Lufthansa. The award went missing after Talankin was forced to check it at New York's JFK Airport on Wednesday, as security deemed the golden statue a potential weapon.
Talankin had the Academy Award in his carry-on bag for a flight to Germany, but TSA agents stopped him, insisting it could not be carried aboard. After checking the boxed statuette, he discovered upon landing in Frankfurt that it was missing. Lufthansa confirmed the Oscar is now safe in their care in Frankfurt and is working to return it quickly. The airline apologized for the inconvenience and launched an internal review.
Robin Hessman, executive producer of the BBC documentary, said she assisted Talankin at the airport because he doesn't speak fluent English. She noted that he had traveled multiple times with both his Oscar and Bafta award without issues. "This wouldn't have happened to Leonardo DiCaprio," she remarked.
The documentary follows Talankin's work in a Russian school amid war propaganda after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. He is now exiled from Russia.