In school, actor Henry Winkler wetted and crinkled the pages of his books. He hoped his teachers would accept this as evidence that he studied hard. In reality, he struggled just to read and often gave up on his books. He had a learning disability.

In Boston filmmaker Joshua Seftel's documentary "Ennis' Gift," which premieres tonight at 8 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Winkler is joined by a group of celebrities, teachers and students who also struggle with dyslexia, attention deficit disorder or other learning problems.

Seftel worked for two years with Phillip D. Caputo and Camille O. Cosby of the Hello Friend/Ennis William Cosby Foundation to make the film, which in part expresses the foundation's mission of creating awareness for the problems and celebrating the late Ennis Cosby, son of Bill Cosby and a dyslexic.

Through interviews, the film tells about the successes and struggles faced by those with learning disabilities. James Earl Jones talks about how he battled with stammering when he attended school. Ford Motor Credit CEO Donald Winkler tells how he has to get up at 3 a.m. every day to mentally warm up because of his dyslexia. Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner's self-esteem was so low that he almost gave up hope in the classroom.

Danny Glover, Robert Rauschenberg, Charles Schwab, Lindsay Wagner and Ennis Cosby's uncle Russell Cosby also appear in the film, which is hosted by Ed Bradley.

"I think this film's message is really a message of hope; it shows that anyone can learn if they are shown how," Seftel said.

Russell Cosby will be at tonight's screening to discuss "Ennis' Gift." Copies of the film are available online at www.hellofriend.org or by calling (800) 343-5540.