"I walked down a dock and into a new way of being. That sounds rather dramatic doesn’t it? But it’s true. I knew the moment I met Margaret Logan how I would spend the next years of my life. I knew immediately that I needed to tell her story and that of the other cancer survivors who make up Dragon Boat Charleston.

I had the opportunity to make a film that could change the way people think about cancer. What I did not, could not, anticipate was how profoundly the experience would change me. After what has now become 11 years in the company of these unique individuals I don’t think about life the same way. And, perhaps more importantly, I don’t think about death the same way. There are lessons for all of us, regardless of what’s written on our medical records. We shouldn’t have to hear the words “you have cancer” to start living our best lives.

I hope, through this film, I can share at least some small part of what I have learned. I hope it will inspire others to stir their own slumbering powers."
Liz Oakley
Director

Liz Oakley is the owner of Liz Oakley Productions in Charleston, SC. She is passionate about telling stories that matter. Awaken the Dragon is her second feature documentary film. Her first film, Sentencing the Victim, aired on PBS’s Emmy Award-winning series Independent Lens and garnered the highest ratings of the season. The film went on to inspire a change in SC Parole Law improving the lives of those impacted by violent crime.

Director of Photography: You can thank Ed Bates of IVS Video, Inc. (Charleston, SC) for the stunning cinematography. Additional videography credits go to Lenny Spears, Chuck Heilig and Liz Oakley.