Espen Sandberg | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1971-06-02)2 June 1971 (age 54) Sandefjord,Vestfold, Norway |
| Occupations | Film director, advertising producer |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Children | 3 |
Espen Sandberg (born 2 June 1971) is aNorwegian film director and advertising producer, well known to work with his childhood friend and directorJoachim Rønning on several projects such asBandidas (2006),Max Manus: Man of War (2008),Kon-Tiki (2012) andPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017).[1] He received a nomination at85th Academy Awards[2] as well as70th Golden Globe Awards[3] forBest Foreign Language Film for directing 2012 movieKon-Tiki with Rønning.
Espen Sandberg was born in Sandefjord, Norway on 17 June 1971.[1] Growing up in the 1980s, Sandberg and his childhood friend Joachim Rønning spent their free time making short films with Joachim's father's 30-pound homevideo camera, one of the few burdens for being the first of the video generation. He has two sons named Peder and Axel and one daughter named Ea.
In 1992 they both attended Stockholm Film School inSweden, and graduated in 1994. Later that year they served their mandatory time in the military makingpropaganda films for theRoyal Norwegian Army. In 1995 they founded their own company. They called it "Roenberg", which is their last names put together. Early in 1996 they began directing commercials and music videos professionally inOslo. Their extensive and award-winning work in commercials inScandinavia led to major international commissions such as ads forAirbus,Nintendo,Coca-Cola,GE andNokia. Sandberg and Rønning established themselves in the American market with their spots forCapital One, Labatt's and especially with theirUSA Today Super Bowl 2001 Viewer's Poll-winning spot Rex forBudweiser. Together with fellow Norwegian director,Harald Zwart, they own and run Motion Blur, a production house for commercials. Founded in 2002 it is now one of the largest and most award-winning productions companies in Scandinavia.[4]
In 2006, the duo directed theFrench-produced comedy westernBandidas inMexico, starringSalma Hayek andPenélope Cruz; it tells the tale of two very different women who become a bank robbing duo in an effort to combat a ruthless enforcer terrorising their town. In Norway, Rønning and Sandberg are best known for directing the 2008 blockbuster movieMax Manus: Man of War, withAksel Hennie in the leading role; the story follows Manus (Aksel Hennie) from theWinter War against theSoviet Union, through the outbreak ofWorld War II and the occupation of Norway byNazi Germany until peacetime in 1945. In the same year they won Lions atCannes for their Hydro Commercials Train Loop.[4]
In 2012, Sandberg and Rønning became involved in a movie based onThor Heyerdahl and theKon-Tiki expedition. The development of this new film was shown in an exhibition at the Kon-Tiki Museum in Oslo. The film was released in 2012 to great reviews;Rotten Tomatoes reported that 83% of the critics gave a positive review, writing: "A well-crafted retelling of an epic true story,Kon-Tiki is a throwback to old-school adventure filmmaking that's exciting and entertaining in spite of its by-the-book plotting." The picture went on to be nominated forBest Foreign Language Film at the85th Academy Awards[2] and70th Golden Globe Awards,[3] along with several other high-profile accolades such as theSatellite Awards[5] and the NorwegianAmanda Award.[6]
Sandberg and Rønning directed the fifth installment of thePirates of the Caribbean series,Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017).[1][7]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Dag 1 | Short film |
| 2006 | Bandidas | |
| 2008 | Max Manus: Man of War | Nominated-Amanda Award for Best Direction |
| 2012 | Kon-Tiki | Palm Springs International Film Festival for Directors to watch[6] Nominated-Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film Nominated-Amanda Award for Best Direction Nominated-Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film Nominated-Satellite Award for Best Foreign Language Film |
| 2014—2016 | Marco Polo | Television series Directed episodes "The Wayfarer" and "The Wolf and the Deer" Executive produced 20 episodes + special episode "One Hundred Eyes" |
| 2017 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales |
