The limited series, directed by Irving Chen and set in Cuba, begins production this week.
IE Entertainment, the global distribution company founded and managed by industry veterans Indra Suharjono and Erlina Suharjono, has been brought on board to handle worldwide sales of ‘Coolie’ from Cathay Films .
This television miniseries is inspired by the little-known history of enslaved Chinese “coolies” in Cuba in the 1860s. Filming begins this week in the Dominican Republic, with additional locations planned in Panama.
IE Entertainment will introduce ‘Coolie’ to buyers for the first time at the Asia Television Forum & Market (ATF) in Singapore this week.
This eight-episode English-Chinese drama series is a global production from Singapore-based Cathay Film Company, directed by Maylene Chu, and features a multinational ensemble cast from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Cuba, and Colombia. .
The director is Ervin Chen, who directed “Love in Taipei” and “Mama Boy.” Lee In-ha (The Land of Plenty, Don’t Come Knockin’, How to Spend the End of the World) will serve as executive producer of the series. Ed Barr (“Unhun Hero”) will serve as producer, and Chu will serve as creator and showrunner.
In the mid-1800s, when the African slave trade was outlawed throughout the Americas, Cuban plantation owners began trafficking indentured servants from China and other parts of Asia instead. These so-called coolies were often treated as slaves, but some integrated into Cuban society and participated in the fight for independence from Spain. It provided low-cost labor for farms, restaurants, and factories, and helped establish Chinatowns around the world.
Hong Kong actor Louise Wong (Guilty, Anita, Table for Six) stars as a young woman who leaves southern China to marry a political exile working on a sugar plantation in Cuba. perform. Her story sees her join forces with her servants and African slaves in their quest for freedom. But the plantation owner’s disapproved wife and her ex-lover conspire against them, setting off a series of intrigues and acts of revenge that will determine Cuba’s fate.
“After reading the script and discussing it at length with Maylene, we were fascinated by the world of Coolie and the potential for an epic series with so much to tell. We are excited to bring such a fascinating project to ATF,” said Indra and Erlina Suharjono. .
The company’s IE entertainment covers a wide range of areas, including content development, production, marketing, and distribution. The sisters each have around 30 years of experience in the entertainment industry. Indra’s background is in managing brands and his franchises in media, entertainment, licensing and merchandising. Erlina focuses on the film business, specifically the acquisition, distribution, exhibition and production of local films.
IE is the exclusive distributor of Cathay Keris’ classic Malay and Chinese titles. In November 2022, the company became BEC World PLC’s exclusive worldwide sales partner outside Thailand. CLMV and Greater China are non-exclusive.
“Having worked with both Indra and Erlina previously, I am very much looking forward to reuniting with them on this project and embarking on a fruitful journey with our distribution partners around the world. If so, I am confident that IE Entertainment will be able to tailor this story well enough to bring it to market,” said Choo.
Joining Wong in the cast of Coolie are veteran Hong Kong actress Nina Po Hee-ching (The Way We Are, Lost in Time) and Taiwanese actor Joseph Chan (Eternal).・Summer”, “Girlfriend/Boyfriend”). , Colombian actor and television personality Mauricio Henao (“La Herencia,” “Panama”), Cuban actor Camila Arteche (“El Acompanante,” “Sergio and Sergey”), and Sian Chion (“La Mexicana y El Güero’, ‘Fidels’) Daughter’) and Mario Cimarro (‘Romeo + Juliet’, ‘Pación de Gavilanes’).
Mr. Chu’s family has been a major figure in Southeast Asian film since the Associated Theater chain was founded in 1935. Cathay Keris was Singapore’s leading production studio in the 1950s, rivaling Shaw Brothers.
Mr. Chu became CEO of Cathay Organization Group in 1985. The group sold its exhibition business in 2017 and Mr Chew relinquished his role when he retired in 2018. She continued as chairman of the Cathay organization and began exploring new opportunities in film and television. It was produced through her Cathay Film Company, which was founded in 2020.
