In Webster’s Dictionary, “joint” is defined as 1. a shabby or disreputable place of entertainment and 2. a place where two things or parts are joined. In other words, a “joint” is a place where people mix with each other, and it seems to fit the description of what happens in the Taiwanese film industry.

The first time I noticed the word, “joint”, was in the film, About Last Night, a screen adaptation of the play, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, by David Mamet. In the film, the protagonist is a salesman who treats the number of women he sleeps with like the sales figures, and he has such a macho attitude that it eventually wrecks not only his career but his love life. Having drawn a lesson from the painful experiences, he puts his heart into running a joint, a small place of his own that sells burgers and hot dogs. Since then, I have regarded “joint” as a byword for “a business of one’s own”.

The first time I planned to set up my own business was because I met a good friend called “Joyce”. Like myself, she loved cinema, so I joked that we should name the company “James and Joyce JOINT” and we decided on “JOINT etc.” Nonetheless, that company was never materialized. Later with the support from my friends, colleagues and former boss, JOINT was born. It is a company dedicated to the production and distribution of independent films, and I have realized the dream that we the cineastes run a film company of our own. People who love going to the cinema or insist on making films are welcome to visit us and see if we can make something great out of our “JOINT venture”.

The principle of running JOINT is simple – we aim to present quality films to the audiences, allowing people, who still have expectations for life, to find spiritual happiness in their mundane daily life. Let’s watch movies together at JOINT!

We wish you all the best.
James & JOINT