Pavel Talankin, the Russian co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary Mr Nobody Against Putin, is searching for his Academy Award after it was confiscated by US security officials at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and subsequently lost during a Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt.
Talankin, who now lives in exile in Europe after fleeing Russia with the footage that became the film, was returning home on Wednesday when a TSA agent at JFK stopped him from carrying the statuette as a carry-on item. According to a social media post by co-director David Borenstein, the agent claimed the Oscar could be used as a weapon. Despite attempts by the film’s executive producer to reason with the official, Talankin was told he would have to check the award under the plane.
Lufthansa staff provided a cardboard box, and Talankin recorded two airline agents wrapping the Oscar, tagging it, and taking it away. However, when the flight landed in Frankfurt on Thursday morning, the statuette was gone. Borenstein wrote: “I’ve looked and I can’t find a single other case of someone being forced to check an Oscar. Would Pavel have been treated the same way if he were a famous actor? Or a fluent English speaker?”
A Symbol of Resistance Lost in Transit
The incident has gone viral, with many commentators highlighting the absurdity of the situation. One Instagram user wrote: “This is absolutely INSANE. I’m so sorry and furious that happened to Pavel. How many other Oscars traveled back to Europe safely… or BAFTAS or Emmys (now those are real weapons)!” Speaking to Deadline, Talankin said: “It’s completely baffling how they consider an Oscar a weapon.”
If the statuette does not reappear, Academy rules allow living winners to request a replacement in the rare event of damage or loss. Talankin, a former school videographer in Karabash, Russia, now lives in exile in Europe after fleeing his home country with the footage that would become Mr Nobody Against Putin.
The documentary, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary earlier this year, is based on secretly recorded footage exposing how the Putin administration aims to indoctrinate schoolchildren following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It shows pro-war propaganda lessons and “patriotic displays” introduced in classrooms after 2022.
In his acceptance speech, Talankin said: “For four years we have looked at the sky for shooting stars to make a very important wish. But there are countries where, instead of shooting stars, bombs fall from the sky and drones fly. In the name of our future, in the name of all of our children, stop all of these wars now.” Borenstein added: “Mr Nobody Against Putin is about how you lose your country. You lose it through countless small little acts of complicity. We all face a moral choice, but luckily even a nobody is more powerful than you think.”
In March, a Russian court banned the distribution of the film, claiming it promoted “negative attitudes” about the government and the war in Ukraine. Prosecutors also argued that schoolchildren had been filmed without parental consent. Russia’s presidential human rights council said it would appeal to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and UNESCO to investigate the film’s production.
The Kremlin has continued to suppress opposition to the war. During a meeting with representatives of the culture council in March, Vladimir Putin bemoaned how Russian cinemas were showing “stupid and unnecessary” foreign films. As of publication, the Oscar remains missing, a stark reminder of the challenges faced by dissident filmmakers even as they receive international acclaim.
