# Camila Arteche Celebrates Her Birthday with the World Premiere of 'Coolie' at the Miami Film Festival

**Date:** 04/14/2026

Cuban actress Camila Arteche marked one of the most significant milestones of her career on Sunday, April 12, when the series Coolie held its world premiere at the 43rd Miami Film Festival — the same day she turned 36.


The screening took place at noon at the Koubek Center in Miami as part of the festival's official selection. Arteche did not hide her excitement about the coincidence: "The emotion is double because of the importance of the festival, and because that day is my birthday. I could not have thought of a better way to celebrate," she wrote on her social media accounts.


Coolie is an ambitious international period production shot in the Dominican Republic and Panama, depicting 19th-century Cuba and the story of Chinese workers brought to the island as indentured labor. The series, filmed entirely in English and directed by Arvin Chen and Julián Acosta, gathers talent from more than 40 countries across its 8 episodes. Fellow Cuban actor Sian Chiong Crehuet is also part of the cast.


Arteche plays the role of "María," a character present throughout all eight episodes. The artist, a graduate of Havana's National School of Arts who has been based in Miami since 2019, described the project as the most significant work of her career to date. "I have not had to soften my Latin essence to access more projects — on the contrary, I have had to understand it more deeply," she reflected on her evolution in the English-speaking market.


The Coolie premiere was also a historic moment for the festival itself: it is the first television series ever to screen in official competition at the Miami Film Festival, an event traditionally reserved for feature films.