May 01, (THEWILL) — The Academy Award belonging to Pavel Talankin, co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary “Mr. Nobody Against Putin”, has gone missing following a security dispute at John F. Kennedy International Airport on April 29, 2026.
Talankin, traveling from New York to Germany, had the 8.5-pound Oscar in his carry-on bag.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents at JFK’s Terminal 1 stopped him, claiming the statuette could be used as a weapon.
Talankin, who had flown with the Oscar multiple times without issue, was told he would have to check it as luggage. Lufthansa staff assisted in packing the Oscar in a box, securing it with bubble wrap and tape for protection.
However, upon landing in Frankfurt, Germany, the Oscar was missing. Lufthansa has confirmed it cannot be located.
The airline issued a statement expressing regret and is conducting a “comprehensive internal search” for the missing statuette.
Talankin’s executive producer, Robin Hessman, said she was on the phone with TSA during the incident, as Talankin does not speak fluent English.
She noted that the situation likely would not have occurred if Talankin were a famous actor.
Talankin won the Best Feature Documentary Oscar earlier this year for his film, which exposes the spread of war propaganda in a Russian school following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Following its Oscar win, the film was labeled as “extremist material” by a court in Chelyabinsk and banned in Russia from multiple streaming platforms.
Talankin now resides in exile in Europe.
Lufthansa is continuing its search for the missing Oscar, but the situation remains unresolved.
Evi Ben Ezaga writes on entertainment, culture, and trending stories.
