An Oscar-winning filmmaker has lost possession of his Academy Award after a security dispute at John F. Kennedy International Airport left the trophy missing in transit.
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Pasha Talankin, who won Best Feature Documentary as co-director of Mr. Nobody Against Mr Putin, says TSA agents blocked him from carrying the statuette onto his flight on Wednesday.
He says he has travelled with the award multiple times before without issue.
Oscar Award Missing After TSA Blocks Carry-On at JFK
Security flagged the 8.5-pound gold statuette as a potential weapon at Terminal 1, forcing Talankin to check it in. When he arrived in Frankfurt, the box containing the Oscar had vanished.
The award's whereabouts remain unknown.
"It's completely baffling how they consider an Oscar a weapon," Talankin told Deadline. "[I] flew with it in the cabin, and there never was any kind of problem."
Talankin, flying with Lufthansa, tried to find a solution before boarding.
He says an airline agent offered to escort him to the gate while holding the award, but a TSA agent rejected the idea.
Another proposal to store the Oscar in the cockpit also failed after a supervisor stepped in.
Airline Launches Urgent Search as Oscar's Whereabouts Remain Unclear
Without a hard case, Talankin accepted a cardboard box from Lufthansa to transport the trophy.
He filmed the process as staff wrapped the award in bubble wrap and tagged it for the flight.
Talankin travelled with executive producer Robin Hessman, who helped translate during the process.
"[Pasha] calls me this morning from Frankfurt saying Lufthansa doesn't have it. They lost it," Hessman said. "He has a ticket number [for the box], and they can't find it."
Lufthansa acknowledged the situation in a statement on Thursday.
"We deeply regret this situation," the statement reads. "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."
According to Deadline, living Oscar winners can contact the Motion Picture Academy to request a replacement in rare cases of loss or damage.
Mr. Nobody Against Mr Putin premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2025, where it won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award.
The film later secured Best Documentary at the British Academy Film Awards in 2026, alongside its Oscar success.
