The Record (Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo)
Sat 28 May 2005
In the pantheon of global eccentrics with a delusional axe to grind, George Sapounidis must surely rank near the top.

A Greek-Canadian civil servant who fancies himself an "international performer '' of Chinese folk songs, the middle-aged mama's boy -- a cross between Neil Diamond, Gene Simmons and the donkey from Shrek -- is the endearingly offbeat subject of Chairman George and the Quest for the Torch, a W-FIVE Presents documentary about his unyielding quest to perform at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

George is so effortlessly loopy in his affectations that everything he does is amusing, whether he's descending to the ocean floor in a too-tight Speedo full of rocks to simulate a moonwalk, comparing music to crack cocaine or philosophizing about life with a face full of shaving cream. Well, unless he considers his revered song catalogue fodder for a slew of delusional stage hams, this will kill him.

The Montreal Gazette
Sat 28 May 2005
Fish-out-of-water tales can be a lot of fun. Chairman George and the Quest for the Torch, a W-Five documentary by Montrealer Daniel Cross about a goofy guy with a not-so-goofy dream, is one such film. It's a delightful road movie about Ottawa's George Sapoundis, a statistician and part-time musician. Fluent in Chinese, he came up with the idea of singing at the closing ceremony at the Olympic Games in Athens, during the hand-off of the Olympic flag to Beijing, which will host the games in 2008. The filmmaker trails George as the never-say-die troubadour knocks on doors and butts heads against Chinese officials. Chairman George has more than a few feel-good moments, and it's well worth an hour of your time.