ARTE Distribution Sells “THE BLOB” to the United States

NOVA “SECRET MIND OF SLIME” to Premiere in Fall 2020 on PBS

WGBH Boston, America’s largest producer of PBS content, has pre-bought from ARTE “THE BLOB, A
GENIUS WITHOUT A BRAIN” for its production NOVA, the most-watched prime time science series
on American television, reaching an average of five million viewers weekly. NOVA’s version of the
film, “SECRET MIND OF SLIME,” is slated to premiere in premiere fall 2020 on PBS.

Produced in 4K by Hauteville Productions (Karina Si Ahmed) for ARTE’s science slot, “THE BLOB, A
GENIUS WITHOUT A BRAIN,” blends science fiction, animation, the beauty of nature, humor and
cutting-edge science, to explore a surprising organism, the blob, more commonly known as a slime
mold. Neither animal, nor plant, nor fungus, the blob is one giant single cell whose amazing
capacities are leading scientists to the new world of brainless intelligence and offering a glimpse into
the very roots of cognition.

“We love delivering mind-blowing science to our viewers,” says NOVA Co-Executive Producer Julia
Cort. “Slime molds certainly fall into that category: single-celled organisms who can navigate mazes,
choose between foods, and create efficient networks—no brain required.”

“Although they’ve been around for one billion years, slime molds are now leading us into a whole
new area of science,” adds NOVA Co-Executive Producer Chris Schmidt. “This film follows pioneering
experts on an international investigation that could challenge our worldview on living matter and
uncover the secrets of brainless intelligence.”

ARTE Distribution has sold and pre-sold “THE BLOB, A GENIUS WITHOUT A BRAIN” to other
territories such as NHK in Japan, BBC in the UK, SVT in Sweden, Planète + in France, Radio Canada,
RTHK in Hong Kong, CCTV in China, EBS in Korea, Planet + in Poland, and RTS in Serbia.

“There is a high international demand for science,” explains Céline Payot Lehmann from ARTE
Distribution, “as it’s a universal theme that travels well and answers the market’s need for high
production value (4K, CGI, 3D…). ARTE has a very successful weekly science slot for which we
constantly seek partners and pre sales. We are launching for example THE MAGICAL WORLD OF
MOSS produced by Zadig and ARTE France. Moss is at the origin of life on Earth and is helping
scientists in the nuclear field and bio technologies. Another example is SEARCHING FOR PLANET 9,
produced by Look for Science and Arte France, that follows the space race for our 9th planet, located
at the edge of our solar system.”

“THE BLOB: A GENIUS WITHOUT A BRAIN” is produced by Hauteville Productions and ARTE France in
association with NOVA/WGBH Boston, CNRS Images and Planète +.

NOVA “SECRET MIND OF SLIME” is a NOVA Production by Semicolon Pictures LLC for WGBH Boston
in association with Hauteville Productions for ARTE France and CNRS Images.

ABOUT ARTE DISTRIBUTION

ARTE Distribution is the sales department of the European cultural broadcaster ARTE. With a catalog of over
4000 documentaries and over 100 new titles a year in multiple genres from science, wildlife, ancient history,
contemporary history, investigation, pop culture, fashion, arts & culture, ARTE is one of the industry’s most
prominent factual distributors. Additionally, ARTE Distribution partners with producers at early stages of
production to help find international financing, through pre sales and co productions.

ABOUT NOVA
NOVA is the most popular primetime science series on American television, demystifying the scientific and
technological concepts that shape and define our lives, our planet, and our universe. The PBS series is also one
of the most widely distributed science programs around the world, and is a multimedia, multiplatform brand
reaching more than 55 million Americans every year on TV and online. NOVA’s important and inspiring stories
of human ingenuity, exploration, and the quest for knowledge are regularly recognized with the industry’s most
prestigious awards. As part of its mission to make the scientific enterprise accessible to all, NOVA is committed
to diversity and inclusiveness in all its work, from the production process to the range of stories we tell and
voices we feature. In addition, science educators across the country rely on NOVA for resources used in the
classroom as well as in museums, libraries, and after-school programs. NOVA is a production of WGBH Boston;
more information can be found at pbs.org/nova, or by following NOVA on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

About WGBH
WGBH Boston is America’s preeminent public broadcaster and the largest producer of PBS content
for TV and the web, including Frontline, Nova, American Experience, Masterpiece, Antiques
Roadshow, Arthur, Curious George and more than a dozen other primetime, lifestyle, and children’s
series. WGBH also is a major supplier of programming for public radio, and oversees Public Radio
International (PRI). As a leader in educational multimedia for the classroom, WGBH supplies content
to PBS LearningMedia, a national broadband service for teachers and students. WGBH also is a
pioneer in technologies and services that make media accessible to those with hearing or visual
impairments. WGBH has been recognized with hundreds of honors. More info at www.wgbh.org.

Press contact: Céline Payot Lehmann – Head of Distribution

c-payot-lehmann@artefrance.fr