Denzel Washington Came Together with His Sons on ‘The Piano Lesson’ (Exclusive)

The Piano Lesson was a family affair for Malcolm Washington.

Denzel Washington‘s youngest son debuted his first studio feature film, The Piano Lesson, at the Telluride Film Festival Saturday, Aug. 31. By his side was John David Washington, who stars in the film, and sister Katia Washington, 37, who produces.

Denzel is a co-producer on the Netflix film, which also stars Danielle Deadwyler and Samuel L. Jackson. The drama, which centers around two siblings (Deadwyler and John David Washington) at odds over a family heirloom, a piano engraved by an enslaved ancestor, is dedicated to Malcolm’s mother Pauletta before the closing credits roll: “For mama.”

“This movie is so personal to me, and the people that I got to make it with are the closest people in my life,” Malcolm, 33, tells PEOPLE in Telluride, CO. “My mom was at the center of it.”

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Based on August Wilson‘s 1987 play of the same name, The Piano Lesson sees the return of several cast members from its most recent 2022 Broadway revival, including Jackson, 75, and John David.

While Denzel, 69, does not appear in the film, his connection to Wilson’s work served as a through-line for the production, says Malcom. A longtime proponent of Wilson’s work, Denzel earned Tony and Oscar nominations for Fences (which he starred in and directed) and brought Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom to the screen as a producer in 2020.

“August Wilson is such a big part of his legacy and he feels so strongly connected and upholding the kind of reverence and giving access to August Wilson’s stories,” Malcom tells PEOPLE. “So I think for my Dad, throughout the whole process, his thing was like, ‘We’re just going to respect and protect and take care of August.’ I think that the gravity of that was always through every part of the production and it was always at the center of what we were trying to do creatively.”

Staying mostly out of view during production, Denzel made a rare appearance as they shot The Piano Lesson’s intense exorcism scene — which happened to occur during a “crazy thunderstorm,” notes Malcom.

“I’ve been on a couple sets with him before growing up and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him have a moment like that,” says John David, noting “how moved he was from what they were doing.”

Adds Deadwyler of Denzel’s approach as a producer: “I just found that really beautiful and respectful. He allowed [Malcolm] to just be everybody’s leader and it was the most serene kind of experience in that way.”

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For John David, being directed by his baby brother felt natural. “I was looking at it more, I’m getting to work with a director that I really love. I love his work and I’ve been waiting on him to — it was like, he chose us,” he says.

The movie features additional performances from Erykah Badu, Skylar Aleece Smith, Jerrika Hinton, Gail Bean and Corey Hawkins. Two-time Oscar winner Alexandre Desplat composed the music. Michael Potts also appears in The Piano Lesson, after acting in the Broadway revival.

Malcom’s twin sister Olivia, is also featured in a cameo, as is Pauletta.

The director says the building blocks of the film came together “piece by piece” — he’s been a fan of John David’s acting since watching him make videos in middle school, (“he’s like the person you model yourself after as a young boy”), and partnering with his sister Katia allowed him to benefit from her deep experience as he navigated his first studio effort.

“I knew that coming in I wanted to have the feeling of community and family and that warmth,” Malcom tells PEOPLE. “Corey’s family, [and] Danielle became family within 20 minutes of talking to her on Zoom. It just happened piece by piece and organically. This project, we try to lead with intuition in your gut and that’s led us here.”

The Piano Lesson is in select theaters Nov. 8, then on Netflix Nov. 22.

The 51st Telluride Film Festival runs through Monday, Sept. 2