Gonzaga professor Matt McCormick’s ‘The Deepest Hole’ to premiere at Sundance

“The Deepest Hole,” a film by Matt McCormick, Spokane filmmaker and assistant professor of art and integrated media at Gonzaga University, will premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.

The 12-minute documentary tells the story of the United States and Soviet Union’s Cold War race to see which country could penetrate the Earth’s crust and reach its mantle first, essentially competing to see who could dig the deepest hole.

Neither country reached the mantle, but the competition inspired an urban legend and an early example of “fake news.”

McCormick’s other work includes “Buzz One Four,” “The Great Northwest,” “Some Days Are Better than Others” and “The Subconscious Art of Graffiti Removal.”

He also has directed music videos for bands like the Shins, Sleater-Kinney and Broken Bells and has exhibited at festivals, museums and theaters around the world.

“The Deepest Hole” is McCormick’s fourth film to be invited to Sundance. This year’s festival, Jan. 23-Feb. 2 in Park City, Utah, features 192 films selected from 15,100 submissions.