Ghosts of the Sea – Hot Docs 2025
James Cameron Teaches Filmmaking
April 24 to May 4, 2025
FILM FESTIVAL
Hot Docs
Hot Docs 2025
PROGRAMME
Canadian Spectrum Competition
A woman tries to find answers to why her brother experienced the same lost-at-sea fate as her father in Ghosts of the Sea. Virginia Tangvald is the youngest daughter of a famous Norwegian sailor, Peter Tangvald. When Virginia was only 5 years old, Peter died in a shipwreck that also claimed the life of her 7-year-old half sister Carmen. The sole survivor of the shipwreck was Virginia’s eldest brother, Thomas, who would mysteriously disappear at sea in 2014. Virginia tries to find answers to why Thomas met the same fate as her father and whether she is also destined for a fate at sea.
Ghosts of the Sea Synopsis
Ghosts of the Sea is an autobiographical documentary directed by Virginia Tangvald about the mysteries of her family. Virginia narrates the film in the form of a letter to her Eldest brother Thomas, who has been missing and presumed dead for the past decade. Virginia goes through the belongings of her father Peter to try an unravel the type of man he was and how and why Thomas would follow in his tragic footsteps.
My Thoughts on Ghosts of the Sea
Ghosts of the Sea begins with an Aristotle quote stating that there are three kinds of people – the living, the dead, and those who go to sea. Ghosts of the Sea features some literal ghosts in the form of narrated log entries from Peter Tangvald, as well as an archival documentary interview with Thomas Tangvald. Virginia Tangvald tries to piece together the mystery of who her father was, including suggestions that Peter was not entirely truthful about how his first two wives died. Ultimately, Ghosts of the Sea is about the tragedy of Thomas and how his decade-long disappearance has affected Virginia, who worries that she, too might be following in her father’s footsteps.
Trailer for Ghosts of the Sea – Hot Docs 2025
