In 2006 , duo directed the French-produced comedy western '' Bandidas '' in Mexico , starring Salma Hayek and Penélope 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 movie '' Max Manus : Man of War '' , with Aksel Hennie in the leading role ; the story follows Manus ( Aksel Hennie ) from the Winter War against the Soviet Union , through the outbreak of World War II and the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany until peacetime in 1945 . In the same year they won Lions at Cannes for their Hydro Commercials Train Loop . In 2012 , Sandberg and Rønning was concerned with a new big movie about Thor Heyerdahl and the '' Kon-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 with great reviews ; Rotten Tomatoes reported that 83 % of the critics gave a positive review . The site 's consensus is : " 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 " and went on to be nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 85th Academy Awards and 70th Golden Globe Awards , and was also nominated for several other high-profile awards such as the Satellite Awards and the Norwegian Amanda Award
85th Academy Awards
85th Academy Awards
Espen Sandberg