687 
Which is hardly surprising, given that Peter Keenan, father to one of the two remarkable free divers at the centre of this fascinating documentary, was
Having fallen in love with the moving image through her filmmaker grandfather and her cinema-owning grand-uncle, Laura McGann first began making films and producing theatre when she was just 15 years old. After studying film in Ballyfermot, McGann then pursued a masters in documentary filmmaking at Liverpool’s Hope University, her award-winning festival fave The End Of The
Pressure drop…
hen Laura McGann’s The Deepest Breath debuted at Sundance back in January, there 
were tears in the audience.
hen Laura McGann’s The Deepest Breath debuted at Sundance back in January, there 
Which is hardly surprising, given that Peter Keenan, father to one of the two remarkable free divers at the centre of this fascinating documentary, was 
there to say a few words about his son.
there to say a few words about his son.In the film, we’re introduced to that Irish son alongside Italian free diving world record holder Alessia Zecchini, Stephen Keenan being her vigilant coach and safety expert. And someone who would do anything to help Alessia reach her goals. No matter how deep, or how dangerous.
About to hit Netflix in Ireland on July 19th, The Deepest Breath has already garnered some rave reviews, Screen International calling it ‘a nerve-shredding experience’, whilst The Hollywood Reporter commended its ‘eye-popping visuals, thrilling competitions’ and its ‘deftly presented love story’.
It’s a documentary that, says McGann, ‘braids together many kinds of love; love between people, love of the ocean, love of excellence and adventure, love of original lives, of tight-knit communities, and love of travel to places that are breathtaking, in both senses of the word’.
Using everything from raw underwater dive footage to childhood home movies as The Deepest Breath chronicles Alessia and Stephen’s lives and careers, in the opening scenes, we witness Zecchini holding her breath underwater for three minutes and 21 seconds as she makes another free diving world record attempt. And from those opening scenes, we know just how treacherous this sport can be.
Using everything from raw underwater dive footage to childhood home movies as The Deepest Breath chronicles Alessia and Stephen’s lives and careers, in the opening scenes, we witness Zecchini holding her breath underwater for three minutes and 21 seconds as she makes another free diving world record attempt. And from those opening scenes, we know just how treacherous this sport can be.
McGann with Peter Keenan, Anne McLoughlin & Jamie Dalton JAN23 Pic: Monica Schipper/Sundance
Counter leading to over 20 documentary series for the likes of the BBC, PBS, RTÉ, Sky and Lonely Planet.