Director: Brett Gerking
USA, 2017, 65 minutes
Website: motionpicturevideo.com/duelingdragons

Orlando police officers and inner-city children form a dragon boat racing team and reveal their emotional journeys as the program grows. This ancient sport is rooted in Chinese culture, and is introduced at a critical time in the lives of both cops and kids in some of the city’s toughest neighborhoods. Success in dragon boating comes only when all 20 paddlers are in complete synchrony. Told from their straightforward perspectives, these cops and kids, the “Dueling Dragons”, are transformed from wary participants to steadfast teammates. Along the way, they build trust and mutual respect, compete for gold medals and deal with the tragic loss of one of their mentors, OPD Officer Lt. Debra Clayton.