La Penca documentary wins international award, will open in Costa Rica
The final installment of Peter Torbiörnsson’s filmmaking career is raking in international accolades. On Tuesday, Torbiörnsson, who directed the recently released documentary “Last Chapter: Goodbye Nicaragua," said the film won the grand prize for documentaries at the Nordisk Panorama 2011 Film Festival in Denmark.
The documentary, which follows Torbiörnsson's difficult life journey, retells the story of the bombing at the La Penca press conference on May 20, 1984. Four rebels and three journalists, including Tico Times reporter Linda Frazier, were killed. Torbiörnsson, who was injured in the blast, was accompanied to the press conference by a Danish photographer using the alias Per Anker Hansen. Hansen, later found to be leftist Argentine spy Vital Roberto Gaguine, brought the bomb to the press conference in his camera case. Torbiörnsson said his association with the bomber has forever haunted him and caused unshakeable guilt.
To read the full story, click here. Torbiörnsson spoke with Tico Times reporter Adam Williams in September. To read that interview, click here. Photo by Jessica Phelps.