Born That Way

A documentary film about care. And love. And Patrick Lydon.

In a small wooden house in County Kilkenny, Ireland, Patrick Lydon’s life is ebbing away. Throughout his final year he reflects on an extraordinary life that took him from a budding career in rock journalism in America to trailblazing, with his wife, Gladys, the development in Ireland of the radically inclusive Camphill Movement, sharing life in community with people of diverse needs and abilities.

At a time when it couldn’t be more needed, Patrick’s story and his unique lens on the world exemplify a meaningful life lived to the full, and ask searching questions about ideas of community and inclusion and shine a special light on the otherness of others in our society.

Éamon Little

Eamon Little is a screenwriter, film-maker and radio documentary maker.

His latest film Born That Way, a documentary on the life and work of social pioneer, Patrick Lydon, launches at the Dublin International Film Festival in February 2025.

His recent adaptation of John McGahern's final novel, That They May Face the Rising Sun (co-scripted with director Pat Collins), has played in film festivals all over the world since its release in 2023 and won Best Film at the 2024 IFTAs.

His other feature film documentaries include Living Colour (2011), Red Mist (2007 - adapted from Conor O'Callaghan’s eponymous book), and he co-directed An Domhnach in Éireann (2005). Short documentary films include Camphill - The Essence from Within (2009), Nimble Spaces - An Introduction (2013) and Nimble Spaces - Inclusive Neighbourhoods (2016). He has written and directed three short fiction films: quickfix (1996), Nobody Home (2002) and Neighbourhood Watch (2010) and has a number of feature film screenplays and documentary films in development.

For radio he has made the documentaries A Backwards Glance at the Ballroom of Romance (RTÉ, 2012), All Those Names for the Mystery of Love (Lyric Feature, 2014), My Mind Was a Stranger (Newstalk, 2016) and his latest documentary, If the Stick Dances, a journey into the life of a violin bow, Lyric Feature, 2016), Out of the River and the Fields (Newstalk, 2018), Abhainn Dú (MidWest Radio, 2020) and No Ordinary Joe (Newstalk, 2020) – all of which can be heard here LittleVision Radio Works.

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