Born on the open sea in 1986, VIRGINIA TANGVALD grew up in Canada. She is a film director and producer of the documentary Ghosts of the Sea, which is based on her family story and has been nominated for Best Documentary at the Toronto Film Critics Association Awards, as well as three Gemini Awards for Best Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Production; and is the winner of the TV5 Audience Award at FNC (Festival du nouveau cinéma) and the Prix Iris for Best Cinematography. The film has also screened at festivals, including FNC, Hot Docs and DocLands. Children of the Open Sea was first published in French under the title Les enfants du large and is the winner of the Prix Révélation d'automne de la SGDL, the Prix Éric Tabarly, and the Prix Pampelonne Ramatuelle; it was also a finalist for the Prix Stanislas, and has been published in Germany, Spain and Portugal. A dual Canadian and American citizen, she lives in Paris, France.