Oscar Winner's Statuette Found by Airline After TSA Dispute Causes It to Go Missing in Checked Luggage
Oscar Winner's Statuette Found by Airline After TSA Dispute Causes It to Go Missing in Checked Luggage
Dave QuinnFri, May 1, 2026 at 2:35 PM UTC
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Russian teacher Pavel Talankin hoists his Oscar for Best Documentary Feature Film for "Mr Nobody Against Putin" at the 98th Annual Academy Awards Governors Ball at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 15, 2026Credit: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty -
Filmmaker Pavel Talankin's Oscar was flagged as a potential weapon by TSA and required to be checked
The statuette went missing during transit to Frankfurt but has now been located by Lufthansa and is being returned
Talankin and co-director David Borenstein won the Oscar for their documentary about Russia's invasion of Ukraine
The Oscar statuette that was reported missing after a TSA dispute at New York's JFK Airport has been located.
Filmmaker Pavel “Pasha” Talankin was traveling internationally with the trophy for this year's Best Documentary Feature film Mr Nobody Against Putin when the issue unfolded.
A spokesperson for Lufthansa confirmed the award is now in the airline's possession in Germany.
“We can confirm that the Oscar statue has now been located and is safely in our care in Frankfurt,” Anja Lindenstein, who heads the brand's media relations office, told PEOPLE.
Pavel Talankin and David Borenstein hold their award for Best Documentary Feature FilmCredit: ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty
News of the disappearance drew attention this week after Talankin's co-director David Borenstein claimed on Instagram Talankin was stopped during a security screening at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday, April 29, where agents flagged the statuette as a potential weapon.
Officials ultimately required the item to be checked rather than carried on board, Borenstein said, despite the filmmaker having previously traveled with the award without issue. It was placed in a box and sent “to the bottom of the plane," Borenstein claimed.
After landing in Frankfurt, the Oscar did not arrive alongside the Russian-born Talankin's other belongings, prompting concern that it had been lost in transit.
Borenstein provided photos of Talankin carrying his trophy in a satchel as a carry-on, as well as the box TSA placed it in and the subsequent lost luggage slip.
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“I've looked and I can't find a single other case of someone being forced to check an Oscar," Borenstein wrote, tagging TSA. "Would Pavel have been treated the same way if he were a famous actor? Or a fluent English speaker?”
Lindenstein said the airline is now working directly with Talankin to return the statuette.“We are in direct contact with the guest to arrange its personal return as quickly as possible,” she said.
An apology has also been issued to the filmmaker, according to the airline.
“We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused and have apologized to the owner,” Lindenstein added, noting that “the careful and secure handling of our guests' belongings is of the utmost importance to us.”
An internal review into the circumstances surrounding the incident is ongoing, Lindenstein said.
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Mr Nobody Against Putin follows Talankin, an events coordinator at a primary school, as he documents Russia's requirements regarding patriotic depictions of the country's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. After gathering footage and acquiring evidence that police were surveilling his home, Talankin fled Russia in 2024 with the help of his fellow film producers, who worked to get him asylum in Europe.
Talankin and Borenstein accepted their Oscar onstage at the March 15 ceremony. “In the name of our future, in the name of all of our children, stop all of these wars now,” said Talankin via translator Robin Hessman, a fellow producer on the film.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
