NEW YORK — Filmmaker Pavel Talankin's Academy Award statuette went missing during a Lufthansa flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Germany on Wednesday after airport security blocked him from carrying it onboard. Security officers at the New York airport stopped Talankin from taking the Oscar in his carry-on bag, saying the statuette could be used as a weapon.

Because Talankin did not have a checked bag, Lufthansa staff helped him pack the Oscar into a box using tape and bubble wrap so it could be placed under the plane as a checked item. When he landed in Germany, the statuette was missing.

"We deeply regret this situation. Our team is treating this matter with the utmost care and urgency, and we are conducting a comprehensive internal search to ensure the Oscar is found and returned as quickly as possible." the airline said in a statement.

Robin Hessman, executive producer of Talankin's BBC documentary, said she joined the conversation at the airport on speakerphone to help because Talankin does not speak fluent English. She said Talankin had flown multiple times this year with his Oscar and his BAFTA across the United States and on international flights without any issues bringing his Oscar aboard. "This wouldn't have happened to Leonardo DiCaprio," Hessman said.

During his trip in New York, Talankin passed the Oscar statuette around an audience of university students during a Q&A session following a screening of his documentary. An Academy Award statuette stands 13.5 inches (34 cm) tall and weighs 8.5 pounds (3.9 kg), and reportedly costs between $400 and $1,000 to produce.

The documentary, Mr Nobody Against Putin, was filmed by Talankin and chronicles the increase of war propaganda in a Russian school following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia has banned the film from three streaming platforms on the grounds that it "propagates extremism and terrorism." Talankin is exiled from Russia for his personal safety and is living elsewhere in Europe.