An Academy Award-winning director has reported that an Oscar statue belonging to one of his collaborators has gone missing after being 'confiscated' by officials with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). David Borenstein and Pavel 'Pasha' Talankin co-directed Mr. Nobody Against Putin, which won the award for Best Documentary Feature at the 2026 ceremony on March 15.
Incident at JFK Airport
Taking to Instagram on Thursday, Borenstein claimed that TSA officials refused to allow Talankin's trophy through security as he traveled from New York City to Frankfurt, Germany via Lufthansa Airlines. 'Yesterday he arrived at JFK ready to fly home to Europe, carrying the Oscar as a carry-on,' Borenstein said. 'I snapped the first picture here of him on his way out.' Borenstein stated that TSA officials told Talankin 'the Oscar could be used as a weapon' and 'wouldn't let him carry it on board.'
Efforts to Resolve
Borenstein said the documentary's executive producer, Robin Hessman, 'got on the phone and tried to reason with' the TSA agent, but 'it didn't work.' Talankin 'didn't have a bag to check it in, so the TSA put the Oscar in a box and sent it to the bottom of the plane.' Borenstein added a picture Talankin snapped of what he sarcastically described as 'their brilliant solution' in transporting the valuable statue. However, the Oscar 'never arrived in Frankfurt,' and Borenstein included a picture of a 'lost baggage slip' issued by travel authorities.
Concerns About Treatment
Borenstein expressed concerns that Talankin was not treated respectfully. 'I've looked and I can't find a single other case of someone being forced to check an Oscar,' Borenstein said. 'Would Pavel have been treated the same way if he were a famous actor? Or a fluent English speaker? And if anyone else has ever had to check an Oscar statuette, I'd love to know.'
Lufthansa Responds
Borenstein asked Lufthansa Airlines for help finding Talankin's statue, adding, 'If you have any information at all, please DM us.' The airline replied in the comment section, reassuring they were taking the situation 'super serious' and 'ready to help track down the missing parcel and get it back where it belongs.' Lufthansa wrote: 'Oh no! An Oscar missing - we hear you, and we're here to help. Here's what happens next: we're taking this on. And we take it super serious. We will do everything we can to find the Oscar as fast as possible and have already escalated this.' They urged Borenstein to send a private message for further exchange of information.
About the Documentary
Mr. Nobody Against Putin centers around Talankin, who works as an event planner at a primary school, as he documented how Russia mandated depictions of its Ukraine invasion four years ago. Talankin left Russia in 2024, gaining asylum in Europe with the help of his collaborators after documenting evidence he was being tracked by police. 'In the name of our future, in the name of all of our children, stop all of these wars now,' Talankin said via a translator as he accepted the coveted honors this past March.
