The movie was filmed in Paris, MS just outside of Oxford, MS, which was the home town of William Faulkner.
A former literature teacher, producer Robert Geller wrote a proposal to the National Endowment for the Humanities to fund a series of films based on great works of American literature in honor of the bicentennial. Eventually encompassing seventeen films of up to 55 minutes in length, each film in the "American Short Story" series boasted exceptional acting, directing and script, with hosted introductions by alternately Colleen Dewhurst and Henry Fonda. Although featuring the talents of many well-known actors, each film in the series had a total budget of under $250,000. The films gained additional exposure when later telecast by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
The story, "Barn Burning", was also part of the source material for "The Long, Hot Summer".