Taiwan's Joint Entertainment, founded by James Liu, has expanded from distribution into international sales.

Heading the company's slate are Singing Chen's God Man Dog, which is screening in PIFF's New Currents section, and The Most Distant Course, which picked up an award in Critics' Week at this year's Venice.

A former filmmaker who grew frustrated with Taiwan 's heavily subsidised system, Liu entered distribution in 2003 after learning the business from Taiwanese distribution veteran Oliver Chen.

He established Joint in 2005 and has also started producing. As Taiwan has few sales agents or companies that regularly attend markets, Liu says he found it necessary to start selling both his own and other people's productions.

'I'm convinced that Taiwan can be about more than arthouse filmmakers like Hou Hsiao-hsien,' says Liu. 'I keep coming across new filmmakers and if young people still want to make films then there is still hope for the film industry in Taiwan.'

Liu's sentiments are similar to those of another Chen protege, Michelle Yeh, who has successfully launched production and sales outfit Three Dots Entertainment, which handles mainstream dramas and comedies from young Taiwanese directors.

Joint's slate also includes two projects produced by Liu - Fen Fen Cheng's Keeping Watch, which will screen at the Stockholm fest before a November release in Taiwan, and documentary For More Sun, about solar-powered car built by Taiwanese team.

Liu says he will see how sales progress at the Pusan market before deciding whether to attend future markets including the American Film Market (AFM).