“Patti Smith: Dream of Life,” a 2008 documentary film about U.S. poet, painter, musician and singer Patti Smith, will be shown free of admission tonight at Old Heaven Bookstore.

    Directed by Steven Sebring, the documentary is an intimate portrait of Smith that mirrors the essence of the artist herself. It was presented at the Berlin International Film Festival and won the “Excellence in Cinematography Award: Documentary” at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

    Smith became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album “Horses.” Called the “punk poet laureate,” she fused rock and poetry in her work. Smith’s most widely known song is “Because the Night,” which was co-written with Bruce Springsteen. The song reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1978. In 2005, Smith was named a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture, and in 2007, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2010, she won the National Book Award for her memoir “Just Kids.” The book fulfilled a promise she had made to her longtime partner, Robert Mapplethorpe.

    Time: 8 p.m., Oct. 26

    Venue: Old Heaven, North Area, OCT-LOFT, Nanshan District (南山区华侨城创意文化园北区旧天堂书店)

    Metro: Luobao Line, Qiaocheng East Station (侨城东站), Exit A(SD News)