MoniqueMurray
Casting Director, Zest Casting
Head Judge – Casting/Production & Styling
Actor / Dancer / Performance & Director-trained, Monique Murray began her career as a Casting Director in 2001. After having completed her Honours Degree, and having travelled extensively, she started out casting Feature Films, & later expanded into international TV Commercials for major brands.
Monique has cast over 3000 TV commercials, & many Feature Films, short films & Music Videos. Some of these projects have been award-winning, locally & internationally. She has worked on films with international stars such as Colin Farrell, Salma Hayek, Nicholas Cage, Jared Leto, Luke Perry and Arnold Vosloo. One of the highlights being the South African feature film “Flatland”, directed by Jenna Bass, which opened the Berlinale Film Festival 2019.
In 2022 & 2023, Monique was a judge on the International SHOTS AWARDS EMEA, as well as the Cape Town Squad International Film Festival. Monique is also invited to adjudicate at final year film school examinations.
In January 2024, after 23 years of casting, Monique started casting directing under her own company umbrella, called Zest Casting. She has already cast multiple projects for major brands this year, and is also currently casting on several feature films.
Monique has a keen eye for identifying emerging talent and is committed to supporting the development of actors and performance talent for long term sustainable careers.