world
Oscar Statuette Missing on Lufthansa Flight From Russian Filmmaker
Russian filmmaker Pavel Talankin won an Oscar this year for his documentary 'Mr Nobody Against Putin.' TSA agents at JFK Airport required him to check the statuette on a flight to Frankfurt, where it went missing upon arrival but was later found by Lufthansa. The airline apologized and is arranging its return.
Nbc NewsAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Developing·Limited corroboration so far. This page will refresh as more sources emerge.
Lufthansa Airlines located the missing Oscar statuette belonging to Russian filmmaker Pavel Talankin in Frankfurt and is arranging its prompt return. The airline confirmed the award is safely in its care and stated it is in direct contact with Talankin to facilitate the personal handover as quickly as possible.
Lufthansa apologized to Talankin for the inconvenience and said an internal review of the circumstances is ongoing.
Talankin arrived in Frankfurt on Thursday after traveling from New York to Frankfurt on a Lufthansa flight on Wednesday. Upon arrival, the Oscar was missing. TSA workers at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City stopped Talankin from carrying the Oscar in his carry-on bag on Wednesday.
TSA officials argued the Oscar could be used as a weapon and required it to be checked. The Oscar was placed in a flimsy cardboard box and bubble-wrapped for the cargo hold, according to co-director David Borenstein. Borenstein posted on Instagram on Thursday that a TSA agent said the Oscar could be used as a weapon and would not allow it on board.
"You have to check it under the plane," TSA agents told Talankin, according to his account to Deadline. " Talankin has flown more than a dozen times with the Oscar in his carry-on bag since winning it in March without being stopped, he stated. "It’s completely baffling how they consider an Oscar a weapon," Talankin said.
Borenstein expressed frustration on Instagram, noting he could not find another case of someone being forced to check an Oscar and questioning if Talankin would have been treated differently as a famous actor or fluent English speaker. Talankin arrived safely in Prague, according to his California-based representative, Vitaly Ataev Troshin.
