Oscar Winner Says Lufthansa Lost His Academy Award After TSA Barred It From Cabin

Pavel Talankin, co-director and on-screen subject of Mr Nobody Against Putin, says his Academy Award has gone missing after Lufthansa staff checked it into cargo hold storage at John F. Kennedy International Airport — following a Transportation Security Administration ruling that the statuette could not be brought into the aircraft cabin.

The Details

Talankin was stopped at JFK on April 29 before boarding a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt, according to Deadline. TSA staff told him the Oscar could be used as a weapon and would not permit him to carry it on board, Talankin said.

Because Talankin did not have a suitcase of his own for the item, Lufthansa staff bubble-wrapped the statuette, packed it into a cardboard box, and checked it into the hold, BBC News reported.

The Oscar statuette stands about 13.5 inches tall and weighs about 8.5 pounds, according to BBC News.

When Talankin landed in Frankfurt on April 30, the boxed Oscar was not there, IndieWire reported. A lost-baggage and property irregularity report was filed.

"It's completely baffling how they consider an Oscar a weapon," Talankin told Deadline after arriving without the statuette.

Lufthansa confirmed it was aware of the situation and had begun an internal search. "We deeply regret this situation," the airline said in a statement published by BBC News. "Our team is treating this matter with the utmost care and urgency, and we are conducting a comprehensive internal search to ensure the Oscar is found and returned as quickly as possible."

Members of the film's team told The Hollywood Reporter that Talankin had flown multiple times previously with the Oscar as carry-on luggage without any problems.

Context

Mr Nobody Against Putin won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in March 2026, according to BBC News. Talankin is both a co-director of the film and an on-screen subject of the documentary.

The TSA had not issued a public statement in response to Talankin's account at the time of this article. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also had not commented publicly on the missing award.

What's Next

Lufthansa said it was conducting a comprehensive internal search for the Oscar and was committed to returning it to Talankin as quickly as possible, according to BBC News. The airline did not specify a timeline.

No independent explanation had emerged publicly for where in the baggage-handling process the boxed statuette went missing. Neither the TSA nor the Academy had responded publicly at the time of publication.