The Piano Lesson follows a Black family (the Charleses) in the wake of the Great Depression as they debate whether to sell or keep a family heirloom: a potentially lucrative grand piano, which was designed and owned by their enslaved ancestors. Although Malcolm Washington hadn’t been seeking out a concept to pursue for his first feature film, he found himself discussing his vision for an adaptation with his brother, John David. By 2022, with a script in hand, Washington went about accruing his cast. John David was on board “before the film even existed,” says Malcom, to play Boy Willie Charles, the son of the Charles-family patriarch, Doaker. And for Doaker himself? Washington cast none other than Samuel L. Jackson. The film, which premiered at the 51st Telluride Film Festival in August, was produced by the elder Washington, Denzel. But for Malcom, the resonance of family within The Piano Lesson looms even larger than his father. “This is about my family, my great-grandparents, my uncles,” says Washington. “It just became so personal.” —Jack Sullivan