Lufthansa Airlines announced on Friday that they have found an Oscar statuette belonging to Russian director Pavel Talankine, which was lost during a New York-Frankfurt flight.
Pavel Talankine, who won an Oscar in March for his documentary “Mr Nobody vs. Putin,” was not allowed by US security services to carry the statuette in the cabin during a flight from JFK Airport on Wednesday, Deadline reported. Authorities from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) deemed the statuette could be used as a weapon, so Talankine had to check it in a cardboard box. However, upon arrival in Germany, the golden statuette had disappeared.
“We can confirm that the Oscar statuette is now in our possession in Frankfurt,” Lufthansa stated, mentioning being in contact with Pavel Talankine to return the statuette to him “in person as soon as possible.”
Pavel Talankine, a 35-year-old videographer from a small Russian town, made waves in March when he won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. His film, “Mr Nobody vs. Putin,” showcases the introduction of pro-war patriotic classes in Russian schools under Putin’s presidency, amidst the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Talankine expressed confusion over the situation, stating that he had flown with the statuette multiple times without any issues. He found it “totally incomprehensible” that an Oscar would be considered a weapon and questioned the handling of the situation by TSA officials. An agent from Lufthansa had offered to accompany him to the boarding gate and keep the statuette during the flight, but this plan was rejected by a TSA official, according to Deadline.
