Oscar-winner says trophy is MISSING after it was ‘confiscated by TSA’ at airport

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A director who has won an Academy Award reports that an Oscar statuette owned by a colleague is missing. He says the TSA took it during a security check.

David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin co-directed the documentary Mr. Nobody Against Putin, which won Best Documentary Feature at the awards ceremony on March 15, 2026.

On Thursday, Borenstein shared on Instagram that TSA wouldn’t let Talankin bring his trophy through security while traveling from New York City to Frankfurt, Germany on Lufthansa Airlines.

I was at JFK yesterday and saw him arriving, completely ready to head back to Europe. It was amazing – he was actually carrying his Oscar with him as carry-on luggage! I managed to get the very first picture of him leaving the terminal, and I’m so excited about it.

According to Borenstein, TSA officials informed Talankin that the Oscar statue could be considered a potential weapon and therefore wouldn’t allow him to bring it onto the plane.

The Daily Mail has contacted Borenstein, as well as spokespeople for the TSA and Lufthansa, for their statements on the matter.

According to Borenstein, the documentary’s producer, Robin Hessman, attempted to explain the situation to the TSA agent over the phone, but her efforts were unsuccessful.

According to Borenstein, Talankin didn’t have luggage to check, so airport security put the Oscar statue in a box and placed it in the plane’s cargo hold.

He included a photo Talankin took of what he jokingly called ‘their clever idea’ for moving the precious statue.

Borenstein said his Oscar statue hadn’t been delivered to Frankfurt, and shared a photo of a ‘lost baggage’ claim filed by a colleague after it went missing.

Borenstein said he felt that Talankin was not treated respectfully in the exchange.

Borenstein stated he couldn’t find any other instance of someone being required to verify an Oscar. He questioned whether Pavel would have been treated differently if he had been a well-known actor or spoke English fluently.

‘And if anyone else has ever had to check an Oscar statuette, I’d love to know.’

Borenstein reached out to Lufthansa Airlines for assistance in locating Talankin’s statue, and requested that anyone with information send them a direct message.

‘Oh no! An Oscar missing – we hear you, and we’re here to help,’ Lufthansa Airlines wrote.

We’re now fully committed to resolving this issue and are treating it with the utmost seriousness. We’re working quickly to locate the Oscar and have already taken steps to prioritize the search.

Lufthansa asked Borenstein to message them directly for more details.

Mr. Nobody Against Putin follows Talankin, a primary school event planner, as he documented Russia’s control over how its invasion of Ukraine was portrayed four years ago.

In 2024, Talankin fled Russia and received asylum in Europe. He was able to do so thanks to the support of his filmmaking team, and after gathering proof that the police were monitoring him.

Talankin, speaking through a translator when he received the award in March, pleaded for an end to all wars, saying it was necessary for the sake of our future and our children.

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2026-05-01 07:34