Jacques Mersereau and Christi Vedejs with the Emmy for Best Photography-Program

Filmmakers Win Emmy

Novi, MI- Christi Vedejs and Jacques Mersereau received an Emmy Award in the Photography-Program category at the 2005-2006 Emmy Awards Gala, held June 17 at the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi.  The award, presented by the Michigan Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, recognized the duo for their outstanding videography in the nature documentary entitled "An Osprey Homecoming", filmed at Kensington Metropark near Milford, Michigan. 

The documentary, which aired on PBS affiliate WFUM-TV, tells the story of the efforts to restore the osprey, a fish-eating bird of prey, to southern Michigan.  It centers around the touching story of “C09,” a young male osprey raised at Kensington Metropark through an osprey reintroduction program.  After fledging his nest and flying south, “C09” and his mate returned to Kensington to successfully nest and produce the first osprey chick known to hatch in southern Michigan since the 1940s, when loss of habitat and the use of DDT and other pesticides led to the extirpation of the bird in the southern region of the Lower Peninsula.

Vedejs and Mersereau co-produced and directed the feature length film, which won a Finalist Award at the 2005 International Wildlife Film Festival in Missoula, Montana.  Vedejs was also honored with an Emmy nomination this year in the Writer-Program category.  "An Osprey Homecoming" DVD edition is available for purchase online at www.earthluv.com.