ITV_anoush-sadegh-and-dr-sam-khoze

THE INTERVIEW

January, 2026

ANOUSH SADEGH AND SAM KHOZE

DIRECTORS OF LAVENDER & THE BUTTERFLY NATION

HONORABLE MENTION

Anoush and Sam, tell us a bit more about yourselves. Where does your desire to be a director come from?

Anoush and Sam: We come from different backgrounds, but we’re driven by the same thing: a love for storytelling and cinema that stays with you long after the screen goes dark.

Anoush: For me, it has always been about heart. I spent years leading teams and building businesses, and I eventually realized filmmaking is another form of leadership. You’re guiding the emotion, rhythm, and the overall experience of the audience. That’s what excites me: creating something people continue to feel even after the credits roll.

Sam: Sam’s passion is rooted in the craft itself. He naturally thinks in images and pacing. He has that rare combination of a director’s eye and an editor’s discipline. When we collaborate, it becomes a balance of big vision and precise execution. That’s where the film starts to find its soul.

What is your background?

Anoush: My background is a mix of leadership, entrepreneurship, and creative producing. In recent years, I’ve been working deeply in AI, robotics, and advanced technology through my company, IMAGENai. It completely reshaped the way I think about modern production systems, but for me, the story always has to stay at the center.

Sam: Sam is a filmmaker through and through. As a director and editor, he focuses on creating cinematic rhythm that keeps audiences emotionally connected. He also has a strong command of modern generative production workflows, which helped us maintain a consistent look and tone throughout the teaser.

What were your inspirations for Lavender & The Butterfly Nation?

We wanted to create a fantasy world that felt poetic and intentional, not just visually impressive. We were drawn to the idea of a world that feels delicate, almost like stepping into a dream. One of our quiet influences was ballet. Dance expresses identity and transformation without words, and that fits Lavender’s journey perfectly. Mandy Fason’s original story gave us a rich emotional base to build from. We wanted the Butterfly Nation to feel magical and gentle on the surface, but with real emotional weight underneath. It’s a story about kindness and grace, and we wanted every frame to carry that meaning.

You won an Honorable Mention at the RED Movie Awards. What does that mean to you?

Honestly, it means the film was felt, not just watched. When you’re working with a modern hybrid workflow, people can easily focus on the process and forget the purpose. That recognition felt like appreciation for the storytelling itself. It told us the emotional impact landed, which is the most important thing to us. It also gave us momentum and helped open doors for what comes next.

Lavender is a displaced teenager searching for her identity. Why was this theme of belonging and self-discovery important to explore through a fantasy lens?

Because it’s something almost everyone has felt. That feeling of being out of place, whether in a room, a family, or even within yourself, is a universal experience. Lavender is displaced on the outside, but even more lost on the inside. Fantasy is a powerful way to explore those themes because it turns internal emotion into a world you can see and feel. You can give shape to fear and strength to courage. In Lavender’s world, the magic becomes a mirror for her growth. It shows that belonging isn’t something you’re simply given. It’s something you build through kindness and self-trust.

Collaboration seems important to both your work and this film. How did your partnership as co-directors shape the final vision of Lavender?

This project couldn’t exist without collaboration because it brings story and technology together in a very specific way. I spent most of my time protecting the soul of the piece, making sure the emotional meaning stayed alive. Sam shaped the cinematic execution. He’s exceptional at directing the visuals and finding the pacing that makes something feel like a film, not a collection of clips. We challenge each other in a good way. One of us stays anchored in the heart, and the other stays anchored in craft. That balance is what helped the final piece feel cohesive and cinematic.

Your background spans AI, robotics, and advanced technologies. How did your experience influence the storytelling, visuals, or production approach of Lavender?

It influenced our process, but we were careful not to let the tools become the point. The story always comes first. AI can generate beautiful imagery, but without structure and discipline, it can fall apart quickly. My tech background helped us treat the workflow like a system. We used a hybrid pipeline to achieve cinematic consistency while staying focused on story and emotion. Even my work with robotics, including our humanoid character XOIE, played a role. It made me think deeply about identity and what it means to be human, which naturally connects to Lavender’s journey. Dr. Sam Khoze served as AI Director, meaning he led the generative workflow, visual continuity, and creative pipeline that allowed the teaser to maintain cinematic coherence. That control is a big part of why the teaser feels unified and cinematic.

This project is presented as a preview of a future feature film. What can audiences expect if the story continues, and how does this short segment set the tone for the larger adventure?

Think of this teaser as the first step into Lavender’s world. It establishes the atmosphere and the emotional heart of what she’s going through. If we’re able to continue the story, audiences can expect the world to expand and the journey to deepen. We want to explore more of the Butterfly Nation, introduce new characters, and follow Lavender as she grows into her strength. A feature film is our long-term goal, but it’s not confirmed yet. This teaser is our way of showing the potential of this world with the right support.

Do you have an anecdote to share?

There was a moment early on where we had visuals that looked incredible, but something felt emotionally off. It was beautiful, but it didn’t feel alive yet. So we made a simple shift. We slowed everything down and focused on Lavender’s quietest moments, her hesitation, her longing, her silence. That changed everything. The project stopped being about beautiful imagery and became a real story. It was a good reminder that technology can create images, but only storytelling creates meaning.

What’s next?

Right now, we’re focused on building on this momentum. We’re developing more story materials and exploring the right opportunities to expand the world of the Butterfly Nation. While a feature film is the big goal, it comes down to finding the right partners who share our vision. At the same time, we’re developing several other GenAI and animation projects through IMAGENai. We aren’t ready to share details yet, but the philosophy is the same across the board. Story first. Emotion first. Cinema first.