Jordan Gerard/ Winonan

A recent graduate’s documentary about World War II pilots won a Regional Emmy award.

Olga Lezhepekova, a 2012 alumna, returned to Winona State University Monday, Feb. 10, to talk about her editing and cinematography in the award-winning documentary “Aviation Storytellers: The Tail Gunner and the Navigator.”

The documentary is first in a series of eight films featuring aviation and people who love to fly, Lezhepekova said.

Most of the footage was filmed at the Anoka-Blaine County Airport in an original B-17 Flying Fortress. The film also included clips from the Library of Congress.

Bob Clemens of St. Paul, Minn. and Vince Parker of Ortonville, Minn. narrated the film through interviews. Both men served in the 15th Air Force Division. Clemens was a navigator and Parker was a tail gunner.

“I truly enjoyed this project. I love making pictures come alive,” Lezhepekova said.

Junior advertising major Trevor Lassig said the film was “inspiring and really good.”

When asked what makes a good film, Lezhepekova said it’s the people telling their story and subjects that are not common to the public.

As a student, she worked on the 2010 Living History Project with professor Robin O’Callaghan’s introductory film class.

“College is the only time you have to get a lot of experience in a short amount of time,” Lezhepekova said.

During her time at Winona State, Lezhepekova was president of the National Broadcasting Society and worked for KQAL radio. She also worked as a reporter, producer and photographer for News 24 and was the Regional Emmy’s social media coordinator this year.

Lezhepekova told students and faculty her time at Winona State helped her to get the internship at North Metro TV station in Blaine, Minn.

The 25-minute film was Lezhepekova’s first project. It aired on North Metro TV and is also available on YouTube.

In addition to her time at North Metro TV, she also devotes time to being a producer and reporter for news station WEAU-13 in Eau Claire, Wis. and to freelance work in the Minneapolis area.

Lezhepekova said the film industry is about networking. She encourages people who are starting out to take what they can get for jobs, even if it is non-profit.

“Internships, freelance, even unpaid jobs will help you build your resume,” Lezhepekova said. “You have to decide that you really want to do it and devote a lot of time to it.”

“It’s totally worth it because it never feels like a job to me,” Lezhepekova said of her work.

The Regional Emmy awards are divided into 20 regions in the U.S. The Upper Midwest Region is between Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin filmmakers.

North Metro TV’s crew of four people won the Emmy in the Nostalgic category. The ceremony was held in Minneapolis and was similar to the national Emmy awards ceremony, Lezhepekova said.

Film students and faculty attended the event on campus, which was also open to the public.