(Cannes, France): At the MIPDoc networking lunch, PBS International announced a new distribution partnership with HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, a mission-driven production company dedicated to crafting compelling, immersive films about science and scientists.

PBS International will distribute the studio’s award-winning science films including The Serengeti Rules. Following on a Tribeca Film Festival premiere and having garnered Wildscreen’s Best Theatrical Documentary Award, the film shows the profound implications for the fate of life on our planet.

The Serengeti Rules begins in the 1960s, following a small band of young scientists headed out into the wilderness, driven by an insatiable curiosity about how nature works. Immersed in some of the most remote and spectacular places on Earth—from the majestic Serengeti to the Amazon jungle; from the Arctic Ocean to Pacific tide pools—they discovered a single set of rules that govern all life. Now in the twilight of their eminent careers, these five unsung heroes of modern ecology share stories of their adventures, reveal how their pioneering work flipped our view of nature on its head, and give us a chance to re-imagine the world as it could and should be.

“We are thrilled to enter this partnership with HHMI Tangled Bank Studios to bring these important and visually arresting scientific documentaries to the international marketplace,” says Tom Koch, vice president of PBS International. “The Serengeti Rules is a beautiful film that speaks to the vital work HHMI Tangled Bank Studios is doing to shine light on groundbreaking scientific stories. We look forward to bringing this and many other stories from the studio to international audiences.”

“Our films further our educational mission by telling the human stories of the pioneering scientists behind some of the most important discoveries of our time,” said Sean B. Carroll, executive director of HHMI Tangled Bank Studios. “We select our stories based on their ability to inspire curiosity and wonder about the world around us.”

PBS International

PBS International is the worldwide co-production and distribution arm of PBS Distribution, a leading distributor of public media content around the world, reaching audiences through multiple platforms including television sales, digital distribution of OTT branded channels, TVOD, SVOD and VOD, as well as through theatrical licensing, DVD and Blu-ray sales, and inflight entertainment. PBS International offers broadcast and digital platforms around the globe 3,000 hours of the highest quality factual, lifestyle and children’s programming, including films from producer Ken Burns, entertaining and educational children’s series and award-winning documentaries from NOVA, FRONTLINE, AMERICAN MASTERS, NATURE, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE and many independent producers. For over 20 years, the company has extended the reach of programming beyond broadcast while generating revenue for the public television system, stations and producers.

About HHMI Tangled Bank Studios

HHMI Tangled Bank Studios is a mission-driven production company established and funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) as an extension of its longstanding commitment to science education. Based outside of Washington, D.C., HHMI is the largest private nonprofit supporter of science education and biomedical research in the United States. HHMI Tangled Bank Studios crafts compelling, immersive films about science and scientists for broadcast, theatrical and digital distribution. The company’s award-winning programs address important contemporary issues and capture inspirational stories of discovery across all branches of scientific inquiry. For more information, visit www.tangledbankstudios.com.

PRESS CONTACT: Sarah Marks, PBS International, +1 617-208-0747, semarks@pbs.org