Kelly Donnellan, M.F.A.
Associate Professor
Contact Information
- Office: 204 University Center
- Phone: 412-392-4302
- Email: kdonnellan@pointpark.edu
Education
- M.F.A., Film and Electronic Media, American University
- B.F.A., Filmmaking; Editing & Sound, University of North Carolina School of the Arts
- B.S., Physical Therapy, Russell Sage College
Courses Taught
- Production I, II, III
- Intermediate Editing
- Advanced Editing
- Advanced Documentary Workshop
- Cinema Arts Professional
Background
Kelly Donnellan is an award-winning editor, director and educator with more than 25 years of experience in editing, post-production narrative and documentary filmmaking. She has edited three feature documentaries and over 50 short films, including the Student Academy Award-winning Dying Green in 2012. Her work also includes the award-winning short I Throw Rocks! and I is Another, which earned her the Best Female Director - Woman to Watch award from the Underexposed Film Festival.
Currently, Donnellan is editing Red River Crossing, a short documentary exploring reproductive rights in rural Minnesota, with plans to expand it into a feature-length film. She also recently co-edited Fish Have No Psychiatrists, a feature documentary about Romanian surrealist poet Andrei Codrescu. The Film premiered at RiverRun International Film Festival in 2024 and is expecting a streaming video on demand (SVOD) release in October 2025.
At Point Park University, Donnellan teaches editing and mentors student filmmakers as a part of the Film Production program. She has twice been nominated for the Distinguished Teaching Award and was previously recognized with the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching from Wayne State University in 2021. As a neurodiverse educator and filmmaker, she brings a unique (in a good way!) perspective to her creative and academic work, striving to amplify underrepresented voices, reimagine classroom practices and create films that are both structurally bold and socially engaged.
Curriculum Vitae
Professional Organizations
- University Film & Video Association, 2011-present
- Broadcast Education Association, 2011-present
- National Communication Association, 2020
Selected Artistic Works
- Fish Have No Psychiatrists, co-editor. A feature-length documentary about Romanian Poet Andrei Codrescu, 2021-24.
- The Listening Archive, editor. Installation at Museum of Contemporize Art Detroit (MOCAD), Mike Kelley Mobile Homestead, 2017-18.
- Naomi Beckwith, Tom Moran and Samantha Kyrkostas, editor. Favorite Poem Project Chicago, National Poetry Foundation, 2014-15.
- I Throw Rocks, editor, 2013-15.
- Dying Green, editor, 2011-13.
- I is Another, producer, director, editor, cinematographer, 2006-12.
Research/Creative Interests
- Editing and post-production
- Editing aesthetics, history and theory
- Personal essay and experimental documentary filmmaking
- Inclusive teaching practices
- Watching as many films in a variety of genres, modes and forms as possible
Awards, Recognitions and Honors
- President's Award for Excellence in Teaching, Wayne State University, 2021
- Excellence in Teaching Award, Wayne State University College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts, 2020
- Inspire Award for Teaching Excellence, Wayne State University Department of Communication, 2018
- Service to Students Award, Wayne State University College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts, 2016