The airline faces Mr. Nobody in the dispute over Putin's Oscar

By Brittany Solano

A lost Oscar on the way home

Pavel Talankin, co-director and star of the film “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” finds himself in an unusual situation: his Oscar statuette has disappeared after a flight from New York to Europe. The incident occurred on Wednesday, when Talankin tried to take his prize as carry-on luggage at JFK airport. However, TSA agents told him that he had to check it, which triggered a series of problems that culminated in the loss of the trophy.

The filmmaker had packed the golden statuette in a small box, which was placed in the bottom of the plane. Upon arriving in Frankfurt, the surprise was huge: the Oscar was not there. Talankin, who had brought the award without a hitch since the Academy Awards ceremony on March 15, was forced to deal with the situation.

The search for the lost prize

David Borenstein, co-director of the film, shared the story of the lost Oscar on Instagram. He posted images showing Talankin with the prize in a mesh bag, as well as photos of the box where it was stored and the lost luggage receipt. The situation generated a buzz on social networks, where many wondered how an Oscar could be treated in this way.

Talankin contacted Lufthansa for help and also the TSA, raising a concern: "Would they have treated Pavel the same if he were a famous actor? Or if he spoke fluent English?" The question reflects a concern about the treatment artists receive based on their status.

The co-director had traveled to the United States earlier this month and had managed to bring the statuette without problems. However, this time the situation was different. The film “Mr. Nobody Against Putin” has been recognized for its focus on nationalist propaganda in Russia and Talankin's efforts to document the reality of young people in his country.

The film, which follows the life of a primary school teacher in a small town in the Ural Mountains, has been hailed for its bravery. Borenstein, who secretly recorded footage, managed to send the footage to a filmmaker in Copenhagen via an encrypted web application. Talankin, for his part, fled Russia for Europe in the summer of 2024, seeking to escape an increasingly oppressive environment.

Despite being a “triumphant loser” at the Oscars, where it won the award for best documentary, the film has had a difficult journey. At the ceremony, Borenstein highlighted that the work offers valuable lessons for any country facing attacks on its democratic institutions.

“What we saw in working with this footage is that it is lost through countless small acts of complicity,” Borenstein said. The film invites us to reflect on the responsibility of citizens in situations of injustice and oppression.

“Mr. Nobody Against Putin” continues to screen in select theaters and is available in Kino Lorber's Kino Film Collection. As of Monday of this week, the film's domestic gross was just 0,000, a number that reflects the challenges it faces in a competitive market.

Lufthansa has been contacted for comment on the missing Oscar, but so far there has been no official response. The story of the lost prize has captured the attention of the public, who are closely following the outcome of this unusual situation.