Pauletta Washington Says She ‘Broke Down’ When She Learned Her Son Dedicated His Movie to Her (Exclusive)

Pauletta Washington was moved when she learned her son Malcolm Washington dedicated his feature-length directorial debut to her.

“Oh my God. I’m looking forward to really express how I really feel about it,” Pauletta, who has been married to Denzel Washington for 41 years, tells PEOPLE at the The Piano Lesson‘s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Tuesday, Sept. 10.

“You know, that’s such a great honor, such a great honor,” she adds of Malcolm’s sweet gesture. “I mean, I broke down when I saw it.”

Netflix’s adaptation of August Wilson’s classic play is a family affair for the Washington family: On top of Malcolm, 33, directing, Denzel, 69, produced the movie alongside his daughter Katia Washington, 37, while his oldest son John David Washington stars. The cast also features Samuel L. Jackson, Danielle Deadwyler, Erykah Badu, Skylar Aleece Smith, Jerrika Hinton, Gail Bean and Corey Hawkins.

“There’s a great Colman Domingo quote, who’s an icon, and he says, ‘Where would we be without the dreams of our mothers?'” Malcolm tells PEOPLE, when asked why he decided to dedicate The Piano Lesson to Pauletta, 73.

“When I was working on the movie, her story kept coming to my mind and became something where [like], ‘Okay, this is much bigger than me,’ ” Malcolm adds.

“And even much bigger than my mom and our relationship — this is for everybody’s mom and whether you’re a son, a daughter or a mother or a father or whatever that dynamic is,” he says. “We come from a long line of people that sacrificed and fought to put us in a position to do what we love and want to do, and I think it’s important to honor that.”

On the red carpet in Toronto, Malcolm also spoke to working with his father on set. “With any producer-director relationship, you want trust and communication and protection, in a lot of ways,” he says. “So having my dad, as well as [co-producer Todd Black] and Katia there — it meant so much to me. Having that kind of love around you means everything.

John David, 40, previously starred in The Piano Lesson for the stage, when he, Jackson, 75, and Jackson’s wife LaTanya Richardson Jackson revived the play on Broadway in 2022.

The Piano Lesson is in select theaters Nov. 8 and begins streaming on Netflix Nov. 22.