Oscar Statuette Lost in Transit, Lufthansa Apologizes

0:00It's May 2, I'm Cory with the story, and this is Global News Today, World News Powered by AI. Pawel Tulankin, co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, ran into a wild snag at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport this week. He had to check his fresh Academy Award Statue on a flight to Frankfurt because a TSA agent called it a potential weapon. No carry-on allowed, so they boxed it up and sent it with the luggage. The Oscar never made it to Germany. Tulankin arrived without it, turning a triumphant trip into a nightmare. His co-director David Borinstein jumped on Instagram to share the story, sparking a huge backlash online from fans and film folks worldwide. That film hit hard at the Oscars back in March, exposing how a Russian teacher filmed his students chanting pro-Putin war songs for Ukraine. Tulankin smuggled the footage out and spoke out against the conflict during their acceptance, calling for peace in front of millions.

1:00Lufthansa stepped up two days later, confirming they found the statue safe in Frankfurt. They're coordinating a quick handoff to Tulankin and issued an apology for the mix-up, while kicking off an internal probe into what went wrong. Word from TSA hasn't dropped yet, but this saga shows how even golden glory can get grounded by security rules, lesson learned for future winners. Hitting the skies.