Oscar for 'Mr Nobody Against Putin' lost after TSA considered it a possible weapon
An Oscar awarded to Russian filmmaker Pavel Talankin for his documentary 'Mr Nobody Against Putin' was mistakenly taken by TSA agents at JFK Airport, who deemed it a potential weapon. The statuette was checked as cargo but went missing after Talankin's flight to Germany, only to be later located by Lufthansa in Frankfurt. The airline has apologized and is arranging for the Oscar's return to Talankin, who expressed confusion over the unprecedented treatment.
- ▪Pavel Talankin won the 2026 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for 'Mr Nobody Against Putin'.
- ▪TSA agents at JFK Airport required Talankin to check the Oscar as cargo, citing it as a potential weapon.
- ▪The Oscar was lost after being placed in the cargo hold but was later found by Lufthansa in Frankfurt.
- ▪Lufthansa has apologized and is arranging for the personal return of the statuette to Talankin.
- ▪The documentary critiques Russian patriotic propaganda justifying the invasion of Ukraine and is banned in Russia.
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Pop Culture NewsOscar for 'Mr Nobody Against Putin' lost after TSA considered it a possible weaponThe statuette has since been found and will be returned to the documentary's co-director and subject, Pavel Talankin. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Pavel Talankin on March 15 in Los Angeles.Amy Sussman / Getty Images for Vanity FairShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 1, 2026, 12:58 PM EDTBy Joe Kottke and Corky SiemaszkoAnd the Oscar for best documentary feature goes back to Russian filmmaker Pavel Talankin after Transportation Security Administration workers mistook the golden statuette for a weapon and removed it from his carry-on bag for a flight to Germany.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Talankin will…
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