Filmmaker and 2023 Nohl Fellow Janelle VanderKelen (MA 2014, Art; MFA 2016, Performing Arts) will return to campus on November 7 for “Green Imaginaries,” a free event showcasing some of her recent work.
This event, which is presented by Union Cinema and co-sponsored by the Mary L. Nohl Fund Individual Artist Fellowship Program, will feature 45 minutes of short films by VanderKelen followed by a Q&A with students.
Most recent work
The program includes a screening of VanderKelen’s most recent short film “Direction of the Road,” which is based on a short story from science fiction author Ursula K. Le Guin. The film is a 3D-modeled animation that revolves around a tree’s perceptions of its experiences.
VanderKelen sat with the inspiration for “Direction of the Road” for a decade before having the technology necessary to bring it to life.
“The film is built using cyan and scarlet 3D imagery,” said VanderKelen. “However, it is not to be viewed with 3D glasses. I think audiences will enjoy this sensation.”

During the storytelling process of “Direction of the Road,” VanderKelen drew from her Peck School of the Arts education to ponder how her audience would engage with the material. Additionally, her time with PSOA gave her the drive to pursue technology she was not familiar with.
“My PSOA education fostered a sense of independent risk-taking and continued self-education,” said VanderKelen. “That’s one of the most important things that an arts education can give you… To stay on top of technology and storytelling mores, we need to be flexible… I think PSOA does that really well.”
Other selected films
Another standout work VanderKelen will screen is her 2022 film “Language Unknown.” This David Lynch-inspired piece concerns how plants and fungi may observe human life. While people are often the ones who quantify living things, this film explores whether plants may be smarter than us.
“Language Unknown” was made using stop-motion animation and time lapses. It was also shot entirely on 16mm film. For VanderKelen, shooting on film is an important method to alter viewer perceptions.
“One of the reasons I like working on film is how it renders light,” said VanderKelen. “Often when we film with digital, there is a difference between the human eye and the digital sensor. Film manages to render the natural world in a different way.”
The Nov. 7 screening provides VanderKelen with an opportunity to test some of her in-progress work with an audience that are fans of experimental film.
To take advantage of this, VanderKelen will showcase two excerpts from a feature film that she is currently making centered around 12th-century abbess Hildegard of Bingen. This will be the first time that these are being screened in tandem with some of VanderKelen’s other work.
A homecoming
VanderKelen no longer resides in Milwaukee, making her Nov. 7 screening an exciting occasion.
“This feels like a homecoming for me,” said VanderKelen. “It feels like an opportunity to reengage with the mindset of current students.”
Since graduating from PSOA, VanderKelen has been an Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville teaching Cinema Studies and Time-Based Arts. She is using this screening event to reconnect with the Milwaukee film community that she holds dear.
“It feels important to continue in the filmmaking community,” said VanderKelen. “Maintaining those connections is important for any student who goes on to have a professional career in film. It is important to remember who you know, where you come from, and the environments and spaces that influence you heavily.”
For more information on “Green Imaginaries,” visit the PSOA Events calendar.
Story by Jason McCullum ’25