Russian Pavel Talankin, after flying from the United States to Germany, lost the Oscar statuette he received for the Danish-Czech documentary “Mr. Nobody vs. Putin.” The film's co-director David Borenstein and the BBC announced this on April 30 on his Instagram page.
Talankin was carrying the Oscar in his carry-on luggage on a flight from New York's Kennedy Airport to Germany, but security officials did not allow the statue on board, explaining that it could be used as a potential weapon. Since the Russian did not have checked baggage, Lufthansa employees helped pack the award into a box to send it in the luggage compartment. Upon arrival in Germany, Oscar disappeared.
According to the BBC, the airline said its team was treating the incident with “care and urgency” and was conducting a “comprehensive internal search” for the award.
The film's executive producer Robin Gessman told the publication's reporters that Talankin had previously transported both the Oscar and the BAFTA award by plane several times, but had never had any problems with it. According to her, during a trip to New York, he showed the statuette to American students after watching the film.
“This wouldn't happen to Leonardo DiCaprio,” she said.
Borenstein also expressed indignation: “I have looked and cannot find a single other case where someone was forced to check in an Oscar as luggage. Would Pavel be treated the same way if he was a famous actor? Or fluent in English?”
