Director/writer/co-producer: Gary Ledbetter (based on stories by Ken Ledbetter) – Executive producers: John Board, Simon Board – Producer: John Board, Opeongo Films – Associate producer: Jean Stawarz – Diary by: Susan Tolusso

1986: While at York University Film School, Gary Ledbetter begins work on producing films based on stories written by his dad, Ken. One short is eventually produced, An Act of God. The film is shot in the summer of ’88, but because of money problems, doesn’t finish post until December 1989.

Post film school, Gary begins the process of developing these stories of Ken’s into a full-length feature film.

May 1990: Gary approaches Doug Dales, who is running a company called P.S. Films with John Board and Pam Davenport, about producing Henry and Verlin. The screenplay is in its third draft.

Set in rural Ontario in the 1930s, the feature is the story of an autistic boy who does not speak and his relationship with his mentally handicapped uncle.

Gary wants to produce immediately and approaches Dales because the producer previously attached to the project opted out. It does not go ahead that fall. Gary takes advantage of the delay to take acting lessons. Two more drafts of the screenplay are completed.

Fall 1990: Dales is busy on other projects, so Board and Davenport form The Original Motion Picture Company to produce the film. A rewrite of the screenplay begins.

But by summer ’91, the production is still on hold. Davenport heads off to work with Dales again, so Gary and Board retain rights to Henry and Verlin. Three more drafts are completed.

Summer 1992: Board, who has a long working history with David Cronenberg, takes a contract as assistant director on M. Butterfly. Board tries to bring another producer to Henry and Verlin, but Telefilm Canada says it would prefer he produce it.

Early 1993: Gary’s dad Ken passes away, uncertain of whether his stories will ever be made into celluloid.

Early May 1993: Board gets production financing together, or so he thinks. Telefilm unexpectedly turns the film down.

Confident that he can rejig the financing, Board instructs his girlfriend’s sister to plant the gardens which will form an important focus of the film. Gary, anguished over his father’s death and the rejection by Telefilm, doubts the wisdom of planting. Board plans for a September shoot.

End of May/early June 1993: Over the course of one week, Board reassembles financing. He approaches the Foundation to Underwrite New Drama for Pay-tv, which had previously kicked in $5,000 in development money. fund likes the film and contributes $250,000 from its Feature Film fund. Then Telefilm rejoins the financing consortium with $100,000 production financing.

(Telefilm also provided previous development money, in the $45,000 range. By June 1993, Telefilm agrees to take the development funding as an investment instead of requiring that it be repaid at the start of principal photography.)

The Ontario Film Development Corporation has held fast all along with a commitment of $425,000 towards production financing. Malofilm adds $350,000 as distributor. The balance of the budget consists of $130,000 in equipment and salary deferrals to above- and below-the-line personnel, and private donations from Board and Dales.

The final budget comes in just below $1.5 million. Malofilm holds Canadian and European distribution rights.

Sept. 3, 1993: Principal photography begins. Cinematographer is Paul Huguenot Van Der Linden. Vancouver’s Keegan Macintosh is cast as Verlin with Gary Farmer as Henry.

Principal photography lasts 27 days, plus one day of pickups. Sites include the Pickering airport properties east of Metro Toronto (including Gary Ledbetter’s own house as Verlin’s family home), the Whitby Psychiatric Institute and the Tottenham Railway line in Tottenham, Ont.

October 1993: Three or four months of picture editing begin courtesy Miume Jan Eramo at Film House, Toronto. The creative team tries four different ways of cutting the picture before deciding it should begin from Henry’s point of view before moving into a more general pov.

April 1994: Film House’s Daniel Pellerin, Keith Elliot and Andy Koyama do the final sound mix, including effects and dubbing provided by Sound Dogs and music by Mark Korven.

May 1994: Producers screen the film to an audience consisting largely of a class of teenagers. One writes: ‘This was an awesome film. It made me cry. I never cry.’

Aug. 25, 1994: The Canadian Association for Community Living holds a special screening of Henry and Verlin at a gala in Toronto.

Sept. 14, 1994: Henry and Verlin plays as part of the Perspective Canada segment of the Toronto International Film Festival.