William Miles (April 18, 1931 - May 12, 2013) was an American filmmaker. Born in Harlem, New York, he used his deep knowledge and experience of that iconic neighborhood to produce films that tell unique and often inspiring stories of Harlem's history. Based at Thirteen/WNET in New York City, William Miles produced many films dedicated to the African-American experience that have been broadcast nationwide.
Miles' interest in creating historical documentaries was nurtured through 25 years of restoring archival films and early feature classics for Killiam Shows, Inc. and the Walter Reade Organization in New York City.
Miles' film archive is held by the Washington University Film & Media Archive. in St. Louis, Missouri. In addition to Miles' films, the collection contains all of the elements that went into the production process such as interviews, stock footage, photographs, research, producer notes, scripts, and Miles' personal papers.
Miles' breakthrough film was Men of Bronze, which opened at the New York Film Festival in 1977 and was later broadcast on PBS. This film tells the story of the black American soldiers of the 369th Infantry Regiment, known as the Harlem Hellfighters, who, because of segregation in the U.S. Army, fought under the French flag in World War I. The regiment spent more time in the front-line trenches that any other American unit, fighting alongside French, Moroccan, and Senegalese soldiers.
His best-known work, the four-part series I Remember Harlem (1981), is a comprehensive look at this famous borough's diverse history. Beginning in the 17th century and going up to the early 1980s, the film chronicles the changes in Harlem. The program's episodes include segments on Harlem's early history and settlement, the Harlem Renaissance, the Great Depression in Harlem, the Civil Rights Movement and political activism in the era of Malcolm X, and the problems and redevelopment of the '70s.
The Different Drummer: Blacks in the Military (1983) concentrated on African-American soldiers in recent decades. Miles's three-part program Black Champions (1986) dealt with African-American athletes and their role in the fight against discrimination. Important topics included the impressive performances of various black athletes at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Jackie Robinson's integration of Major League Baseball, Althea Gibson's achievements in tennis, and the careers of early black football stars.
Miles co-produced the film on literary legend James Baldwin: The Price of a Ticket, which debuted in 1989 as an episode of PBS's American Masters series. Black Stars in Orbit (1990), a documentary about African-Americans in the space program, was followed by Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II (1992), which Miles co-produced with Nina Rosenblum. The latter program continued Miles's focus on the experiences of black soldiers and centered on the liberation of Nazi concentration camps. The Black West, an episode of the TBS series, The Untold West, presented the story of African Americans in the U.S. west in the late 19th century.
Mr. Miles has won an Emmy Award, been nominated for an Academy Award, and was inducted into the Black Filmmaker's Hall of Fame. He has also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers (AIVF) for his outstanding contributions to the history of African Americans in the medium of film.
Awards
Emmy Awards
Oscar nomination (1992)
Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for independent Video and Filmmaker (AIVF)
Award of Excellence, Communications Excellence to Black Audiences (CEBA)
Alfred I. Dupont - Columbia Award (1982)
References
^Weber, Bruce (19 May 2013). "William Miles, Maker of Films About Black History, Dies at 82". The New York Times.
William Miles Collection at Indiana University Bloomington Black Film Center/Archive
August 23, 2023
bill, miles, this, article, about, filmmaker, other, uses, william, miles, disambiguation, this, article, contains, weasel, words, vague, phrasing, that, often, accompanies, biased, unverifiable, information, such, statements, should, clarified, removed, janua. This article is about the U S filmmaker For other uses see William Miles disambiguation This article contains weasel words vague phrasing that often accompanies biased or unverifiable information Such statements should be clarified or removed January 2010 William Miles April 18 1931 May 12 2013 was an American filmmaker Born in Harlem New York he used his deep knowledge and experience of that iconic neighborhood to produce films that tell unique and often inspiring stories of Harlem s history Based at Thirteen WNET in New York City William Miles produced many films dedicated to the African American experience that have been broadcast nationwide Bill MilesBornWilliam Miles 1931 04 18 April 18 1931Harlem New York U S DiedMay 12 2013 2013 05 12 aged 82 Queens New York 1 Miles interest in creating historical documentaries was nurtured through 25 years of restoring archival films and early feature classics for Killiam Shows Inc and the Walter Reade Organization in New York City Miles film archive is held by the Washington University Film amp Media Archive 1 in St Louis Missouri In addition to Miles films the collection contains all of the elements that went into the production process such as interviews stock footage photographs research producer notes scripts and Miles personal papers Contents 1 Filmography 2 Awards 3 References 4 External linksFilmography EditMiles breakthrough film was Men of Bronze which opened at the New York Film Festival in 1977 and was later broadcast on PBS This film tells the story of the black American soldiers of the 369th Infantry Regiment known as the Harlem Hellfighters who because of segregation in the U S Army fought under the French flag in World War I The regiment spent more time in the front line trenches that any other American unit fighting alongside French Moroccan and Senegalese soldiers His best known work the four part series I Remember Harlem 1981 is a comprehensive look at this famous borough s diverse history Beginning in the 17th century and going up to the early 1980s the film chronicles the changes in Harlem The program s episodes include segments on Harlem s early history and settlement the Harlem Renaissance the Great Depression in Harlem the Civil Rights Movement and political activism in the era of Malcolm X and the problems and redevelopment of the 70s The Different Drummer Blacks in the Military 1983 concentrated on African American soldiers in recent decades Miles s three part program Black Champions 1986 dealt with African American athletes and their role in the fight against discrimination Important topics included the impressive performances of various black athletes at the 1936 Berlin Olympics Jackie Robinson s integration of Major League Baseball Althea Gibson s achievements in tennis and the careers of early black football stars Miles co produced the film on literary legend James Baldwin The Price of a Ticket which debuted in 1989 as an episode of PBS s American Masters series Black Stars in Orbit 1990 a documentary about African Americans in the space program was followed by Liberators Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II 1992 which Miles co produced with Nina Rosenblum The latter program continued Miles s focus on the experiences of black soldiers and centered on the liberation of Nazi concentration camps The Black West an episode of the TBS series The Untold West presented the story of African Americans in the U S west in the late 19th century Mr Miles has won an Emmy Award been nominated for an Academy Award and was inducted into the Black Filmmaker s Hall of Fame He has also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers AIVF for his outstanding contributions to the history of African Americans in the medium of film Awards EditEmmy Awards Oscar nomination 1992 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for independent Video and Filmmaker AIVF Award of Excellence Communications Excellence to Black Audiences CEBA Alfred I Dupont Columbia Award 1982 References Edit Weber Bruce 19 May 2013 William Miles Maker of Films About Black History Dies at 82 The New York Times External links EditBill Miles at IMDb William Miles Collection William Miles Collection at Indiana University Bloomington Black Film Center Archive Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bill Miles amp oldid 1158275308, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
