Patti Smith: Dream of Life

Colour, 35 mm
USA, 2008, 109 min
Section: 2009: A Musical Odyssey

Synopsis

This portrait of Patti Smith, the legendary musician, artist and poet known as the godmother of punk, was eleven years in the making. Smith emerged in the 1970s, galvanizing the music scene with her unique style: poetic rage, music, and her trademark swagger. We experience this multi-talented, charismatic and extremely private artist through spoken words, performances, lyrics, interviews, and also her paintings and photographs. Patti Smith, who narrates the film, defines the human experience as an overwhelming contradiction. She wrestles with the many paradoxes of human nature, while pulling out all the rock ’n’ roll, rawness and grit she is known for. Director Sebring says: "No person is just one thing. I know I am not just a fashion photographer. And Patti Smith is certainly not just a rock icon. For me, this movie is about discovering who Patti Smith is.”

About the director

Steven Sebring (b. 1966, Aberdeen, South Dakota) grew up in Arizona and has been living in New York since 1992. He became established as a fashion photographer, his style combining raw reality with fantasy and fashion design. He made two short films (New York Stories, 2003; Road Stories, 2004) and he published a book of photographs tracing the work of French sculptors Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne. His photographs have appeared on Patti Smith’s albums Gung Ho, Land and Twelve. Patti Smith: Dream of Life is his feature-film debut. It was premiered at the Sundance festival 2008 and was a hit at the Berlinale 2008 shortly afterwards.