as cultural icons that have been so celebrated and abused it's hard to view them as any particular group's property". Thus, this newspaper suggested that Barry Authors should be pleased that with this incident, he "raised awareness of the Ogopogo's cultural importance to native people" while the film itself would be "a trifling confection of no particular consequence". Writer Randy Boswell connected this debate with similar controversies over appropriation that had been going on for over ten years, and also noted Aboriginals had been previously upset with a contest to catch or photograph the Ogopogo in 2001. Cast When the film was to be made in Manitoba, a local executive Kim Todd told the press that she expected the project would attract major US celebrities, as well as actors from Canada. The cast ultimately comprised: Bruce Greenwood as Sean Cambell. The Canadian magazine Maclean's reported in 2002 that Greenwood, a Canadian actor, had joined the cast. Maclean's also noted that Greenwood had previously played US President John F. Kennedy in the film Thirteen Days (2000). Daniel Magder as Mac Cambell. Madger is another Canadian actor. His audition was included in the DVD, and it was done when Mee-Shee was still named "Ogopogo". Tom Jackson as Custer Joel Tobeck as Snead. Tobeck plays a villain, and one critic remarked that he conveyed "some of the best pure-evil villainy". Rena Owen as Crazy Norma. Owen is a Māori actress who had previously starred in the film Once Were Warriors (1990). She assumed the role Whoopi Goldberg would have played. Phyllida Law as Mrs. Coogan. Luanne Gordon as Laura. Joe Pingue as Neilds. Jacinta Wawatai-Woodhouse as Pawnee Release Mee-Shee premiered in London on 28 June 2005. In the Czech Republic it was released on 14 July and in May 2006 it reached the Philippines and Russia. In New York City in 2006, the film was played at the Tribeca Film Festival. While the film was released in some theatres around the world, in Canada it was only released on DVD in July 2006. Authors wanted the film to run in theatres, but remarked that "We got caught up in an unfortunate series of events that's very upsetting". He also said the German producers were responsible for the film not playing in theatres. Later, in October 2006, the film ran in the Fantasy Worldwide Film Festival in Toronto, with one journalist calling it "a