Nordseth-Tiller hailed from Lørenskog,[1] and studied film in Oslo, Perth and San Francisco.
The film became a commercial success, with the second highest number of cinema viewers in Norway (second only to Flåklypa Grand Prix).
[1] Moreover, it sparked a public debate on the real-life Max Manus and the Norwegian resistance movement in general.
[2] After Max Manus, Nordseth-Tiller announced that he was working on a screenplay about Communist resistance member Asbjørn Sunde.
[1] He was hospitalized for the last months of his life, and died in early May, the same day as Max Manus premiered in Sweden.