Japan's Avex Entertainment hasannounced plans to produce a commemorative feature film for release in April2008, in order to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding ofthe Avex music and media group.

Starting from this monthuntil October, the company will solicit story ideas from the public. The range ofpossible ideas is fully open as long as an element of music is central to thestory. Music from Avex Group's massive library and stable of artists will serveto score the film.

The company stated it "wantsto make a movie together with fans as a present for their support over the past20 years". Casting and shooting will take place in 2007, with the final filmready for spring 2008.

Avex has produced films inthe past such as Hard Luck Hero,starring chart-topping pop band V6, and co-produced car racing film Initial D with Hong Kong's Media Asia. Currently, Avex is the production company behind Yamato producer Haruki Kadokawa's latestepic, The Blue Wolf: To The Ends Of TheEarth And Sea, a biopic of conquerer Genghis Khan.

Avex was founded in 1988 asan importer of foreign music. Subsidiary Avex Trax, established in 1990, becamethe most powerful record label in Japan, with subsidiaries and affiliatecompanies in the US, UK, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Avex Holdings and Avex Inccurrently have interests in nightclubs, music events and artist management. Salesfor fiscal year 2006 reached $786.8m (Y89.8bn).

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