Daniel Cross, Mila Aung-Thwin
2006
A few years back, George Sapounidis, a shy, lanky Greek-Canadian statistician, learned a Mandarin folk song in order to impress a young Chinese lady. He did not realize at the time the profound effect this song would have on his life: soon, the local Chinese community embraced him with enthusiastic support, and he continued learning songs in Mandarin. With the help of the local Chinese ambassador to Canada, George traveled to Shanghai where he was met by adoring crowds, utterly enchanted at his interpretations of their beloved tunes. Chairman George is a documentary film about finding your place in a chaotic, globalized world. Today, George finds himself living two distinct lives: In Canada, he is a mild-mannered bureaucrat who lives with his mother. In China, he is Elvis. So how does George reconcile his two identities? By starting a quest to perform at the closing ceremonies of 2004 Olympic Games, as the mayor of Athens passes the Olympic flame to the mayor of Beijing. This film follows “the only Greek in the world who sings in Chinese” (his words) through the most intense year of his life: globe-trotting through China, Greece, and Canada, chasing no less than the “unity of mankind”, the Olympic flame, and maybe even a Chinese girlfriend or two.
CREDITS
Special Jury Prize at Yorkton Film Festival
Jury Prize at SilverDocs
Jury Prize at Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival
❛ “heart-warming... you will be rooting for George long before it's over!” ❜
— The Times (London, UK)