Daina Krumins was born in 1947 in a refugee camp in Munich, Germany. Her parents, Roberts and Larisa Krumins, were forced to flee from Latvia when they were told that their names were on the next list of people to be sent to Siberia. The family was able to come to the United States in 1950 because they were sponsored by a wealthy family and for several years Roberts and Larisa worked as servants in their household where they were able to recuperate from the effects of the war and start to make their way independently in the US.

Daina Krumins studied psychology for two years at Douglass College (Rutgers University) and then transferred to the NYU Film School where she received her BFA. She received her MFA from the California Institute of the Arts where she specialized in optical printing and special effects. Afterwards she worked as a rotoscoper and optical printer operator at Lookout Mountain Films in Los Angeles (Pat O'Neill's company).

[Source: Canyon Cinema catalog]