Oscar for 'Mr Nobody Against Putin' lost after TSA considered it a possible weapon - BERITAJA

And the Oscar for champion documentary goes back to Russian filmmaker Pavel Talankin aft Transportation Security Administration workers mistook the aureate statuette for a limb and removed it from his carry-on container for a formation to Germany.

Talankin will soon beryllium reunited pinch the Academy Award he won this twelvemonth for his 2025 movie "Mr Nobody Against Putin," Lufthansa Airlines said successful a statement.

"We could corroborate that the Oscar statue has now been located and is safely successful our attraction successful Frankfurt," the connection said. "We are successful nonstop interaction pinch the impermanent to put its individual return arsenic quickly arsenic possible. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused and person apologized to the owner."

Talankin was about to committee a formation Wednesday to Germany erstwhile he was stopped by TSA workers astatine John F. Kennedy Airport successful New York City.

The co-director of "Mr Nobody Against Putin," David Borenstein, posted to Instagram connected Thursday that an supplier considered the Talankin's grant to beryllium a imaginable danger.

"Yesterday he arrived astatine JFK fresh to alert location to Europe, carrying the Oscar arsenic a carry-on," Borenstein wrote. "I snapped the first image present of him connected his measurement out. At the airport, a TSA supplier stopped him and said the Oscar could beryllium utilized arsenic a weapon. She wouldn’t fto him transportation it connected board."

“You person to cheque it nether the plane," they said, Talankin told Deadline.

The eight-pound statuette was bubble-wrapped and placed into a cardboard container destined for the cargo clasp of the level Talankin was booked on, Borenstein told the BBC.

“They conscionable recovered this flimsy container and told him to put it successful location ... everyone was benignant of saying, ‘This is an Oscar, why are you doing this?’” he said.

But erstwhile Talankin landed Thursday successful Frankfurt, location was nary motion of his Oscar.

Talankin’s California-based representative, Vitaly Ataev Troshin, confirmed Friday they’ve been successful touch pinch the airline.

“Pavel has already arrived safely successful Prague and is awaiting further updates,” he said successful a connection to Beritaja. “We are continuing to show the business intimately and will supply immoderate caller accusation arsenic it becomes available.”

Lufthansa, successful its statement, did not explicate really the statuette sewage mislaid, only that they are taking steps to forestall thing for illustration this from happening again.

"The observant and unafraid handling of our guests’ belongings is of the utmost value to us," it said. "An soul reappraisal of the circumstances is ongoing."

The TSA did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Talankin told Deadline said he's flown much than a twelve times pinch the Oscar successful his carry-on container since winning the grant successful March and had ne'er been stopped before.

“It’s wholly baffling really they see an Oscar a weapon,” Talankin said. “[I] flew pinch it successful the cabin, and location ne'er was immoderate benignant of problem.”

Borenstein posted his outrage connected Instagram.

“I’ve looked and I can’t find a azygous different lawsuit of personification being forced to cheque an Oscar. Would Pavel person been treated the aforesaid measurement if he were a celebrated actor? Or a fluent English speaker?”

"Mr Nobody Against Putin" is simply a documentary that Talankin filmed astatine a schoolhouse successful a Russian mining municipality about really Putin was whipping-up "patriotic" propaganda to warrant the penetration of Ukraine.

Fearing for his life, Talankin went into exile while Russia banned the documentary, claiming that it “propagates extremism and terrorism.”