The Piano Lesson

Winner of the Gotham Awards Ensemble Tribute, and Official Selection of the Telluride Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, and the BFI London Film Festival.

A battle is brewing in the Charles Household. At the center stands a prized heirloom piano tearing two siblings apart. On one side, a brother (John David Washington) plans to build the family fortune by selling it. On the other, a sister (Danielle Deadwyler) will go to any lengths to hold onto the sole vestige of the family’s heritage. Their uncle (Samuel L. Jackson) tries to mediate, but even he can’t hold back the ghosts of the past.

Adapted from August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork, The Piano Lesson explores the intergenerational dynamics of identity, resilience and transcendence - revealing startling truths about how we perceive the past and who gets to define our legacy. The film is directed by Malcolm Washington in his feature debut. From Oscar nominated producers Denzel Washington and Todd Black, and featuring an all-star cast including Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Ray Fisher, Michael Potts, Erykah Badu, Skylar Aleece Smith with Danielle Deadwyler and Corey Hawkins. Co-written for the screen by Virgil Williams & Malcolm Washington, and featuring music scored by Alexandre Desplat. The Piano Lesson releases in select theaters November 8 and on Netflix November 22.

This book is dedicated to all of those, past and present, who played an invaluable role in the realization of this visual story, based on the Pulitzer Prize–winning play from August Wilson—a genius of the theater. Texts by Elvis Mitchell and Constanza Romero shed light on the late, great playwright and the complexities of adapting Wilson’s work for the screen. Personal contributions from the various cast and crew fill the pages, whether it is the on-set film photography from Katia Washington, a poetic exploration of Berniece by Danielle Deadwyler, or an intimate conversation between brothers Malcolm and John David. Film stills, production design plans, behind-the-scenes content, costume sketches, and more come together to paint a comprehensive picture of the making of The Piano Lesson. Illustrations, woodcut artworks, and a watercolor painting by different artists created exclusively for this publication speak to the inspirational legacy of the film and August Wilson’s words. From the creative mind of Malcolm Washington comes an ode to family, both given and chosen.

About The Author

Malcolm Washington is a filmmaker from Los Angeles who is making his feature film directorial debut with The Piano Lesson, an adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize– winning masterwork for Netflix. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania and the prestigious American Film Institute, Washington went on to direct award-winning short films and music videos. In 2017, he wrote and directed the short film Benny Got Shot. For his work, he received the Filmmaker-to-Watch Award at the Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF). His previous credits include She’s Gotta Have It, Summer of 17, The Dispute, and North Hollywood.

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