An Oscar statuette belonging to director Pavel Talankin went missing after he was forced to check it in on a flight from New York to Frankfurt, before Lufthansa announced it had been found two days later. The incident began when security at John F. Kennedy Airport refused to allow the award on board, saying it could be used as a weapon.
Details
Talankin, who won Best Documentary for his film Mr. Nobody Against Putin, was forced to place the statuette in a box and send it with checked luggage after intervention by security staff. Upon arriving in Frankfurt, he discovered the award had not arrived, prompting his team to raise the issue publicly.
Lufthansa later confirmed the statuette had been located in Frankfurt and said it was in contact with the director to return it as quickly as possible, while launching an internal investigation into the incident.
The case drew criticism, particularly since Talankin had previously traveled with the same award on domestic and international flights without issue. Video footage also showed the statuette had been packed in a rather rudimentary way.
What’s Next?
Attention now turns to the airline’s internal investigation and whether procedures for handling valuable items at airports will be revised.
