Oscar Statuette Missing After Lufthansa Flight

Pavel Talankin, co-director and subject of the Academy Award-winning documentary "Mr. Nobody Against Putin," reported his Oscar statuette missing after it failed to arrive on a Lufthansa flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Frankfurt, Germany, on Wednesday.

Talankin, who won Best Documentary Feature at the 98th Academy Awards in March alongside co-director David Borenstein, attempted to carry the 13.5-inch, 8.5-pound trophy onboard as he traveled home to Europe. At a Terminal 1 security checkpoint, a Transportation Security Administration agent deemed the statuette a potential weapon and prohibited it from the cabin, according to accounts from Talankin, Borenstein and executive producer Robin Hessman.

Talankin had no checked luggage, so Lufthansa staff placed the Oscar in a cardboard box, bubble-wrapped it, attached a baggage tag and loaded it into the plane’s hold. He photographed and videotaped the process. Upon landing in Frankfurt on Thursday, the box was absent. Lufthansa issued a lost baggage slip, and Hessman said the airline could not locate it despite having the ticket number. The carrier is investigating, according to those involved.