Russian director Pavel Talankin found himself without his Oscar statuette after security at New York's JFK Airport prohibited him from carrying it on board in his hand luggage. The award, received for the documentary film "Mr. Nobody vs. Putin," which criticizes the ideological indoctrination of Russian schoolchildren, had to be checked separately, reports UNN with reference to Radio Prague.
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Upon arrival in Germany, the Oscar was nowhere to be found, the BBC reported today. The film's executive producer, Robin Hessman, noted that until now, Pavel Talankin had flown with the statuette in his hand luggage without any problems, and that "nothing like this would have happened to American actor Leonardo DiCaprio at the airport."
During a security check on Wednesday at the New York airport, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers did not allow Talankin to keep the statuette with him during the flight. They justified this by stating that the Oscar "could be used as a weapon." Since Talankin had no checked luggage to put the statuette in, he was forced to check it separately. The BBC reviewed a video recording showing Lufthansa airline employees wrapping the award in protective film and placing it in a box. The statuette is 34 cm tall, weighs 3.9 kg, and costs up to $1,000 to produce.
Lufthansa stated that it is treating the incident "with the utmost attention and seriousness" and is conducting a thorough internal investigation to find the award as quickly as possible. "We deeply regret what happened," the airline said in a statement.
Producer Hessman assisted Talankin by phone in negotiations with airport security in New York, as the director is not fluent in English. Hessman pointed out that he had previously flown with the statuette in his hand luggage without issues on both international and domestic U.S. flights.
Talankin, who was in New York to attend a screening of the film and meet with students, co-directed the picture with American David Borenstein. The documentary shows the influence of military propaganda in Russian schools during the period of Russia's war against Ukraine.
It was later reported that Pavel Talankin's statuette was found in Germany, Lufthansa told DW. The award is at the Frankfurt am Main airport, the airline's press service told DW. Lufthansa apologized to the owner of the statuette and is ready to hand it over to the director. Currently, airline representatives are determining if Talankin himself remains in Frankfurt. Lufthansa is also investigating how the award could have been lost.
The film "Mr. Nobody vs. Putin" won a BAFTA award for best documentary23.02.26, 00:19
Additionally
In addition to the American Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, the film also won the British BAFTA award this year. Czech Television plans to broadcast Pavel Talankin's film on May 5.
The film was produced by the Danish company Made in Copenhagen and the Czech company PINK. The Czech co-producer participated in the sound and visual post-production of the film and became a key partner in ensuring the safety of the film's main protagonist.
In March, the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation included Talankin on the list of "foreign agents." The film "Mr. Nobody vs. Putin" is banned from screening in Russia.