William Miles (1931-2013) was a producer and director of numerous award-winning public television documentaries through his company Miles Educational Film Productions, Inc. The only Black independent producer based at WNET/Thirteen in New York, Miles produced or directed fifteen films examining African American history and culture, including Men of Bronze (1977), I Remember Harlem (1981), and Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II (1992). Liberators explores Black American soldiers in World War II and their fight against in the military as well as at home. The film was nominated for Best Documentary at the 1993 Academy Awards and won the IDA Award by the International Documentary Association in 1992.

The William Miles Collection contains materials involving the production and release of Liberators. Items include fifteen VHS videocassettes of recorded material related to the film, such as testimonials of members of the 761st Battalion, news coverage, and screenings of the film itself, as well as photographs, a military insignia medal, and an audio interview with several surviving WWII Liberators.

• View more info
• Digital collections