Oscar is lost and found after director forced to check it on a flight

After a distressing two-day search, Academy Award-winning director Pavel Talankin has been reunited with his Oscar statuette that went missing during a trans-Atlantic flight this week.

The incident began on Wednesday when Talankin, who recently won for co-directing the documentary “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” was stopped by a Transportation Security Administration agent at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport. The agent informed Talankin that his Oscar statuette could not be taken as carry-on luggage because it could potentially be used as a weapon.

“Pavel didn’t have a bag to check it in, so the TSA put the Oscar in a box and sent it to the bottom of the plane,” explained David Borenstein, Talankin’s co-director, in an Instagram post Thursday night. “It never arrived in Frankfurt.”

The situation quickly gained international attention after Borenstein’s social media announcement about the missing award. Lufthansa, the German airline operating the flight, launched an immediate investigation into the whereabouts of the missing statuette.

On Friday, the airline announced they had located the missing Oscar. “We can confirm that the Oscar statue has now been located and is safely in our care in Frankfurt,” Lufthansa said in an official statement. “We are in direct contact with the guest to arrange its personal return as quickly as possible. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused and have apologized to the owner.”

The airline added that an “internal review of the circumstances is ongoing,” suggesting they are investigating how the valuable item became separated from the filmmaker’s luggage during transit.

This incident highlights ongoing concerns about inconsistency in airport security procedures regarding unusual items. The Academy Award statuette, while symbolic of the highest achievement in filmmaking, stands about 13.5 inches tall and weighs 8.5 pounds, constructed of solid bronze plated with 24-karat gold. Its substantial weight and construction apparently triggered security concerns.

Talankin and Borenstein’s documentary “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” won the Academy Award for best documentary in March, providing one of the ceremony’s most powerful moments. The film’s subject matter is particularly timely, focusing on Russian propaganda surrounding the war in Ukraine.

Talankin, nicknamed “Mr. Nobody” in the film, worked as a teacher and activities director at a small-town school in Russia. He secretly recorded video of his students’ lessons, chants, and songs promoting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. At great personal risk, Talankin smuggled his hard drives out of Russia to collaborate with Borenstein, who is based in Copenhagen, Denmark.

During their acceptance speech at the Academy Awards, Talankin delivered a moving message in Russian through a translator: “In the name of our future, in the name of all of our children, stop all of these wars now.”

The TSA has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding their decision to require the Oscar to be checked rather than carried onto the aircraft.

The incident underscores the challenges faced by international travelers carrying unique or valuable items, especially those crossing borders during politically sensitive times. For Talankin, whose documentary took significant personal risks to create, the temporary loss of his hard-earned recognition added an unexpected epilogue to an already dramatic story.

Lufthansa has not disclosed exactly where or how the Oscar was found, but the airline’s quick response to the situation likely helped prevent what could have become a more prolonged international incident.