A local documentary based on a book co-authored by University of South Alabama Writer-in-Residence Frye Gaillard has won a regional Emmy for “Outstanding Achievement, Television Programming Excellence” in the category of “Documentary-Cultural” from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

“In the Path of the Storms” was directed by Mike Letcher and written by two Bayou La Batre teachers and Gaillard. Gaillard said it “tells the story of the endangered, but treasured way of life in Bayou La Batre, Coden, and the other fishing villages on the Alabama Coast.”

The 55-minute film consists of interviews and stories from Bayou La Batre residents explaining the community’s struggles and challenges during Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill.

“I’m really happy for Mike Letcher and for Sheila Hagler and Peggy Denniston, two teachers in the community who introduced both Mike and me to the people of Bayou La Batre,” Gaillard said. “But I’m most happy for the people of the Bayou, who are, after all, the stars of the film.”

Alabama Public Television aired the documentary in October 2012. The Emmy was awarded in Atlanta on June 8. For more information, contact Frye Gaillard at (251) 460-6210 or fgaillard@southalabama.edu.