Local filmmaker to document the race for dragon boating gold

As "Pinktober" – the nickname for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October – approaches, there are breast cancer survivors around the country hoping to represent the U.S. on the international stage next year. While they have all been touched by breast cancer – and some are still fighting the disease – they are more than survivors once they pick up their paddles. No, these are warriors, trailblazers and elite athletes, and they're going to be battling for gold medals at the 2027 International Dragon Boat World Championships in Hong Kong.

As she embarks on a mission to tell this inspirational story, Sarasota-based strategic design and fundraising consultant, 20-year breast cancer survivor, champion dragon boat paddler, and Team USA assistant coach Paula Murray (Artefact Design) can now add a new title to her resume: filmmaker.

Murray is the executive producer of "Chasing Dragons—Survival Was Just the Beginning," which will tell the story of Team USA's Breast Cancer Paddler (BCP) dragon boat team. This team competed – against survivors representing 14 countries from around the globe – in the inaugural Breast Cancer Paddler Division at the International Dragon Boat World Championships in Germany last year. The crew brought their A-game, as Team USA returned home from Germany with three silver and three bronze medals.

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But now they are determined to bring home gold from the competition being held in Hong Kong in 2027 – and Murray is working to tell the story of the sport, the Team USA Breast Cancer Paddler team, and the fierce athletes who are training to represent the U.S. on the world stage next year.

"My hope for this film isn't just to document the athletic competition – it's to show survivors that they can do more than survive," Murray said. "A survivor's 'new me' can be anything he or she chooses – and that includes world-champion athlete. 'Chasing Dragons' will be so much more than just a sports documentary; my hope is that it will inspire millions of survivors to believe that the finish line of cancer is just the beginning."

Murray is currently seeking donors and sponsors for the documentary, which is expected to cost approximately $700,000. Joining her in the effort to make the film are Emery Clay III, a six-time Emmy Award-winner at Nike, as Executive Producer, Jay P Morgan, a director of photography for NBC Olympics, as Director of Photography, and Stacy Waters, a seven-time Emmy Award-winner, as Consulting Director/Producer.

Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota has become the epicenter for dragon boating excellence in the U.S. In 2013, Team USA BCP head coach Angela Long, who is also a survivor, founded and coaches the breast cancer survivors' team Survivors in Sync there. Now, the park hosts numerous teams – including women, co-ed, veterans and, soon, paradragons – as well as community paddling events, and national and international competitions. Long and Murray will serve as head and assistant coaches for the 2027 Team USA Breast Cancer Paddler team.

"A cancer diagnosis brought these women to dragon boat but it is their strength, discipline and determination that will take them to the world stage," said Team USA BCP head coach Angela Long. "We are building a team capable of winning gold in Hong Kong – they will show the world that life after breast cancer can be powerful, purposeful and filled with possibilities."

To learn more about the film and how to support the effort, visit chasingdragonsfilm.com.

About Chasing Dragons
Chasing Dragons provides an opportunity to combine two key documentary genres for a unique narrative that is inspirational and engaging for all audiences. Filming in cinéma vérité style, the documentary will capture deeply personal character portraits of hardship and survival and weave them together with high-energy cinematic sports storytelling. Chasing Dragons will capture the raw vulnerability of women reclaiming their identities after cancer while tracking the rigorous training, setbacks, and triumphs of building the U.S. Breast Cancer Paddler team. These parallel stories of personal struggle and collective strength culminate in an international competition that reframes how we think about competition, collaboration, and self-determination. Visit chasingdragonsfilm.com to learn more.