North Carolina produces more tobacco than any other state in America. BRIGHT LEAVES is a journey across the social, economic, and psychological landscapes of tobacco terrain of North Carolina, taken by a native Carolinian whose great-grandfather created the famous brand of tobacco known as "Bull Durham."

BRIGHT LEAVES is a subjective, autobiographical meditation on the allure of cigarettes and their troubling legacy for the state of North Carolina. It's about loss and preservation, addiction and denial. And it's about filmmaking - home movie, documentary, and fiction filmmaking - as the filmmaker fences with the legacy of an obscure Hollywood melodrama that is purportedly based on his great-grandfather's life.

What results is an exploration of the notion of legacy - what one generation passes down to the next - and how this can be a particularly complicated topic when the legacy under discussion is a Southern legacy, and is tied to tobacco.

"A smart, ethically rich, innovative and well-done documentary about the tobacco industry, family legacies, and the pleasures of filmmaking." - Spirituality and Health

"By the end of this reflective, wise, often hilarious movie, you feel as though he has slapped a huge chunk of raw, palpitating life onto the screen. Birth, death, illness, family and social history, childhood and old age, moviemaking, geography and commerce are among the topics Mr. McElwee weaves into a dense but surprisingly orderly bundle of information, memory and conjecture. BRIGHT LEAVES leaves you feeling invigorated by the boundless curiosity, humor and high spirits of its creator." - Stephen Holden, The New York Times

"Witty, thoughtful and illuminating... A rewardingly personal documentary in which the filmmaker deftly uses his specific family legacy as a jumping off point for wry ruminations on American history, the tobacco business, public health and cinematic license, this warmly engaging feature has a bright future." - Variety

"Somehow, the real life that McElwee uncovers is always infinitely more quirky and comical than the fictional worlds that most screenwriters create. Idiosyncratic, funny and genuine, BRIGHT LEAVES is a little gem." - Screen Daily

"A thoughtful mix of humor, intelligence, and self-reflection is what makes McElwee's films such a joy to follow. BRIGHT LEAVES blends nostalgia, economics, and personal reactions to new information at a perfect pitch that allows for laughter and deeply felt affection." - Filmcritic.com