Rockland County native, Freia M. Titland, is no stranger to combining filmmaking and folklore. Her previous work (Ophelia and Magic and Shakespeare: a Representation of the Times) focuses both on the magical and ethereal and how those elements present themselves in Shakespeare’s work. Titland has also produced a handful of creative films and photographic projects (Woman of the Wood and A Mermaid’s Desire) that focus on the re-imagining of the Tarot World Wheel. Her latest project, however, brings her closer to her Norwegian roots as she explores the intricate world of Norse mythology through the eyes of a child.
Asta’s Journey is a 2D animated film that tells the story of a young girl on the eve of her 9th birthday. Asta wishes for two things in honor of her birthday: to see her mother who has passed away, and to go on an adventure so she can encounter the creatures that she likes to read about in her fairytale books. Asta gets a bit more than what she wishes for as she embarks on an adventure through a magical and dangerous forest in order to help a new friend. The forest is riddled with creatures from Norse mythology and Asta must outsmart them, outrun them, be brave, and have faith.
Asta’s Journey is fiscally sponsored by the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP). There you can learn more about the movie and see a glimpse of the animation to come. Freia Titland and team will be releasing their crowdfunding campaign on Seed&Spark in May. In order to stay up to date with Asta you can follow her on Facebook and Instagram.