Francois Girard (The Red Violin) directs the Informant Media feature which Dustin Hoffman has signed on to topline, Deadline said.

Pic tells the story of troubled 11-year-old Stet, a kid from the wrong side of the tracks who ends up in a school choir butting heads with Choir Master Carvelle (Hoffman), who pushes the boy to find his creative heart and soul in music. Young members of the renowned American Boychoir School will appear in the film, with Alfred Molina set to play fellow teacher Drake and Kathy Bates cast as the school’s headmistress.

Source Code‘s Ben Ripley penned the script and Judy Cairo, Carol Baum and Jane Goldenring will produce. Informant’s Michael A. Simpson and Eric Brenner are exec producing with Ripley. John Papsidera is co-producing and casting the picture in a worldwide search for a musically and dramatically gifted young thesp to play Stet.

Filming begins in February in Connecticut and New York with Informant financing and producing while Embankment Films will be selling international at AFM.