diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index 7598c936..adfd52ac 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -34,3 +34,6 @@
 [submodule "scripts/create-dmg"]
 	path = scripts/create-dmg
 	url = https://github.com/create-dmg/create-dmg
+[submodule "dependencies/libdeflate"]
+	path = dependencies/libdeflate
+	url = https://github.com/ebiggers/libdeflate
diff --git a/dependencies/CMakeLists.txt b/dependencies/CMakeLists.txt
index b043658d..a6697da5 100644
--- a/dependencies/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/dependencies/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -54,6 +54,12 @@ set(IMATH_INSTALL OFF CACHE BOOL " " FORCE)
 set(IMATH_INSTALL_PKG_CONFIG OFF CACHE BOOL " " FORCE)
 add_subdirectory(Imath)
 
+set(LIBDEFLATE_BUILD_SHARED_LIB OFF CACHE BOOL " " FORCE)
+add_subdirectory(libdeflate)
+
+set(OPENEXR_FORCE_INTERNAL_DEFLATE ON CACHE BOOL " " FORCE)
+set(EXR_DEFLATE_LIB libdeflate::libdeflate_static)
+
 set(OPENEXR_INSTALL OFF CACHE BOOL " " FORCE)
 set(OPENEXR_INSTALL_TOOLS OFF CACHE BOOL " " FORCE)
 set(OPENEXR_INSTALL_PKG_CONFIG OFF CACHE BOOL " " FORCE)
diff --git a/dependencies/libdeflate b/dependencies/libdeflate
new file mode 160000
index 00000000..b03254d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dependencies/libdeflate
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit b03254d978d7af21a7512dee8fdc3367bc15c656