Description: Dragonmasters is the untold story of the Chinese dragon in America. When this symbol of good fortune and benevolence first arrived, it found communities in trouble and was soon employed by its handlers to battle prejudice, violence, and exclusion. Utilizing a mix of documentary interviews, archival material, vérité footage and filmed in six locations in New York, California, Canada, and China, this 67-minute “authored-documentary” film with multiple storylines is the story of the evolution and cultural impact of the Chinese dragon and its Masters in America.

Writer: Rik Zak, Dr. A.W. Barber
Executive Producer: Chuck Schroeder
Producer: Peini Chen
North American Crew: Gina Zak, Rita Zak, Lyn Schroeder, Ron Poneck
China Crew: Yongkang Zhang, Peini Chen, Ansel Qing Wang
Audio/voice Mixer: Tyler Tober

Director: Rik Zak
Rik Zak is an award-winning creative director and Professor Emeritus at the Alberta University of the Arts (AUArts). Currently, he is a Creative Director at Schroeder Inc., a New York content and brand development agency with clients worldwide. Rik has practiced and researched Chinese dragon dancing in New York and its related traditions with Shifu Chia Meng Woo (胡介民師傅, 1913 -2010) for over 45 years. Shifu Woo was a Shaolin Master teacher who had studied and practiced traditional dragon dancing in Shanghai during the 1920s and 1930s then taught for 40 years in New York City. Rik has taught and coached a dragon team in Calgary and in New York for over three decades.

Director: Jun Ren
Jun Ren is a creative director and film director currently based in Shanghai. He has an undergraduate degree in design and a master’s degree in film directing. Jun has over 10 years of vibrant life experience in Japan, Canada, and the United States. With no boundaries, his goal is to connect new generation creatives, and inspire positive and exciting visions for the future.