iWorld
Mipcom to host screening of ‘The English’ on 16 October
Mumbai: RX France (formerly Reed Midem) and All3Media International announced the special red carpet screening of the western “The English” at the entertainment content marketplace Mipcom Cannes on 16 October. The event will be attended by leads Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer, and writer/director Hugo Blick.
The screening will take place at 18:00 (CET) at the Grand Auditorium in Cannes’ Palais des Festivals and will be followed by a Q&A with the attending talent for both delegates and the general public.
More than 10,000 senior international television producers, buyers, commissioners, and creatives from the top studios and platforms in the business will attend the 38th edition of Mipcom Cannes from 17-20 October 2022. The annual international co-production and entertainment content market will feature more than 250 exhibiting studios and distributors from 45 nations.
“The English” is produced by Drama Republic and Eight Rooks. It was created by Hugo Blick—who also serves as an executive producer, director, and writer. Emily Blunt also serves as an executive producer, alongside Greg Brenman (Peaky Blinders, The Honourable Woman) for Drama Republic and Mona Qureshi for the BBC. Colin Wratten (Killing Eve) is the producer. “The English” was commissioned for the BBC by chief content officer Charlotte Moore and BBC drama commissioning former director Piers Wenger. It is co-produced by Amazon Studios and the BBC in association with All3Media International, who handled international sales.
“The English” takes the core themes of identity and revenge to tell a parable about race, love, and power. An aristocratic Englishwoman, Lady Cornelia Locke (Emily Blunt), and Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer) come together in 1890 mid-America to cross a violent landscape built on dreams and blood.
Both of them have a clear sense of their destiny, but neither is aware that it is rooted in a shared past. They must face increasingly terrifying obstacles that will test them to their cores, physically and psychologically. But as each obstacle is overcome, it draws them closer to their ultimate destination, the new town of Hoxem, Wyoming. It is here, after an investigation by the local sheriff, Robert Marshall (Stephen Rea), and young widow Martha Myers (Valerie Pachner), into a series of bizarre and macabre unsolved murders, that the full extent of their intertwined history will be truly understood, and they will come face to-face with the future they must live.
RX France entertainment division director Lucy Smith said, “Mipcom Cannes is back at full strength this year with the biggest global stars hosting screenings of eagerly awaited international series. And what a cast, and what a series to start us off this year. A huge thanks to All3Media International and all the partners for making it happen and we look forward to welcoming Emily, Chaske and Hugo to Cannes and the Grand Auditorium.”
All3Media International CEO Louise Pedersen said, “We are thrilled that Mipcom has selected The English for this special red-carpet screening. Everything about the show is premium – a brilliant script, stellar cast, expertly directed and produced by Drama Republic. Visually stunning, this will be a real treat for MIPCOM delegates and the public alike on the big screen at the Palais.”
Drama Republic CEO and executive producer Greg Brenman said, “Hugo Blick has created a compelling, modern love story set against the epic landscape of a Western. The English is a true adventure that will tell us as much about the times we live in today as the period in which it is set.”
Gaming
MTG gaming chief Benninghoff joins NODWIN board as esports firm primes for IPO
The Gurugram-based esports firm is pursuing a public listing, has returned to profitability and is growing revenues by 42 per cent
GURUGRAM: NODWIN Gaming is moving fast. The Gurugram-based gaming and esports company has launched a pre-IPO fundraising round, appointed UBS as lead adviser for both the round and a subsequent public listing, and landed a heavyweight board director, all in one go.
The new board member is Arnd Benninghoff, executive vice president of gaming at Stockholm-listed Modern Times Group (MTG), who has overseen the group’s strategic investments and portfolio growth since 2014. He is no stranger to building things: Benninghoff has founded and built fifteen companies, served as chief digital officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, managing director of SevenVentures, and chief executive of Holtzbrinck eLAB. He began his career as a journalist at Deutsche Presse Agentur and various TV networks, holds a Diplom-Kaufmann in business and administration from the University of Münster, and previously sat on the board of Edgeware AB.
The numbers back the ambition
NODWIN is not pitching a story without substance. The company has returned to EBITDA profitability and posted a 42 per cent year-on-year revenue surge, reaching $58.5m in the first nine months of FY2026. The pre-IPO round will combine a primary issuance to fund global expansion through organic growth and acquisitions, alongside a secondary sale to give existing shareholders some liquidity.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, said Benninghoff understands “the entire lifecycle of the gaming and media ecosystem, from the boots-on-the-ground reality of building startups to the strategic complexity of managing multi-billion dollar global portfolios.”
Benninghoff, for his part, said the company “sits at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology, making it one of the most exciting players in the global gaming landscape today.”
A portfolio built for the global south
Founded in 2014 by Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN has quietly assembled one of the more compelling esports portfolios outside the Western hemisphere. Its properties include DreamHack India and Comic Con India, and it recently acquired StarLadder, the Ukraine-based tournament organiser behind premier events in CS:GO and Dota 2. The company also serves as a long-term strategic marketing partner for the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s most prominent fighting game tournament, helping push it into new geographies.
Its geographic focus spans South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Backers include Nazara Technologies, KRAFTON, Sony Group Corporation, JetSynthesys, and the founders’ investment vehicle Good Game Investments.
What comes next
With UBS running the books, a board freshly reinforced with European media and gaming expertise, and revenue heading in the right direction, NODWIN is laying the groundwork deliberately. The esports industry has burned investors before with big promises and thin margins. NODWIN’s return to profitability, combined with a real portfolio of owned intellectual properties across gaming, music and youth culture, gives it a more credible runway than most. The IPO clock is now ticking.
