According to the Icelandic Laxdaele saga, Melkorka was a 15 year old Irish princess when she was abducted from Dublin in 945 A.D. and sold to the Russian slave trader Gilli, who took her to Norway and resold her to the Icelandic warrior Hosküldr. She had a child by him, called Olaf the Peacock, to whom she secretly taught Irish, and who later returned to Ireland to seek out his mother’s people…

Planet Korda Pictures is preparing a feature documentary, directed by Jeremiah Cullinane, mixing science, history, mythology, and literature, telling the story of the origins of Icelandic society and the preponderance of Irish and Scottish women in the early population. The story is told through the framework of a “voyage of discovery” undertaken by two actors role-playing the characters of Melkorka and Höskuldr. As the film eases in and out of past and present, fiction and reality, the actor playing Melkorka will sometimes be in “acting mode” and sometimes simply playing herself.

We seek a “Melkorka” with the following qualities:

  • can play 15-20 age range
  • Irish speaker, willing to attempt Old Irish (with tutor)
  • Improvisation skills, sense of humour
  • Can “take on” opposite number (“Höskuldr”) in debate and be a match for him
  • Easy going enough to withstand (preferably with good humour!) a voyage over 6 weeks and 5 countries with a documentary film crew.
  • There are no particular physical characteristics. “Atypically” Irish could be a plus (but not necessarily)

Please note:

  • Deadline for submissions: 10 December 2019
  • Auditions dates: 17 – 18 December 2019
  • Shooting timeframe: Sept/Oct 2020, 2-3 days shooting promo in Spring 2020

Please send a CV and photo, plus any relevant links (self-tapes accepted) to olga@planetkorda.com