Alessia Zecchini in The Deepest Breath by Laura McGann, and official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Photo: Sundance Institue.

PARK CITY, Utah — The Deepest Breath premiered this week at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. The documentary explores the world of Freediving. Freediving is underwater diving that relies on holding one’s breath; there are no scuba tanks or breathing apparatuses, just a diver and a very, very deep breath. The longest breath held underwater was for 11 minutes and 54 seconds. Amongst the breath hold underwater, freedivers dive to depths of up to 100 meters. The current freediving record is 120 meters (393 feet underwater).

The Deepest Breath explores the story of Italian freediver Alessia Zecchini and her safety diver, Stephen Keenan. This competitive sport has a variety of marquee events around the world. Vertical Blue in the Bahamas (in Dean’s Blue Hole) is a freediving competition. There are also many notable places around the globe for records. In Dahab, Egypt, there is the notable Blue Hole, an 85-foot-long tunnel 184 feet below the Red Sea.

This heartfelt documentary follows the story of Stephen and Alessia within this extreme sport’s culture. The images and footage within the film are spectacular. Their commitment to the sport is unprecedented, and their story is touching.