The HICC Theory: My Way of Seeing Stories

“I don’t make films to impress people.
I make them to understand why we feel the way we do.”

From the first time I decided to make a film, I wasn’t chasing fame or perfection. I was chasing feeling. The way silence can scream louder than an actual scream. The way love and guilt can share the same heartbeat. The way happiness and sorrow are essential for each other.

In Due time, that pursuit shaped itself into something I now call The HICC Theory my personal philosophy of storytelling.

HICC stands for Humanity, Imagination, Conflict, and Connection.
It’s not a formula. It’s a lens — the way I look at every story I tell, every frame I compose, every silence I choose to keep.

H — Humanity: The Pulse of Every Frame

Before you talk about cinematography or dialogue, there must be truth.
For me, Humanity is that truth the raw pulse behind every character, every choice.

In অভিশপ্ত (Abishopto), the killer isn’t just a murderer; he’s a man haunted by guilt.
In দু-স্বপ্ন (Du-Swopno), dreams bleed into memory because that’s what grief does in real life.

If a story doesn’t feel human, it doesn’t matter how beautiful it looks.

“A film without humanity may move your eyes,
but it will never move your soul.”

I — Imagination: Where Reality Finds Its Wings

Cinema is a mirror, yes but sometimes mirrors lie.

That’s where Imagination begins.

I’ve never been interested in copying reality. I want to reimagine it — through rhythm, color, and sound. Sometimes, I let the frame breathe longer than usual. Sometimes, I let a sound linger like a ghost.

As a tech junkie, I love using tools to stretch emotion — not hide it.
Technology is just another form of empathy when used with intention.

Imagination is where the ordinary becomes poetic.
It’s where cinema stops being documentation and starts being dream.

C — Conflict: The Fire That Creates Meaning

There’s no story without Conflict. But I’ve never been interested in good versus evil.
I’m drawn to something quieter, messier, more human: the battle within.

A man torn between guilt and denial.
A lover afraid of being seen.
A dreamer fighting the fear of waking up.

Those are the wars I want to film the ones no one else can see.

“Conflict isn’t about chaos.
It’s about the human heart cracking open just enough to let truth leak out.”

Conflict makes the story breathe. It’s the friction that shapes identity, the fire that forges meaning.

C — Connection: The Quiet Destination

When the story ends, when the lights dim and the screen fades what remains?
Connection.

It’s the moment when someone in the audience feels less alone.
When a stranger wipes a tear, not because the film was sad, but because it reminded them of their own reflection.

That’s why I make films to build bridges between hearts.
Because cinema, at its best, isn’t entertainment. It’s empathy.

“Connection is when two people,
watching in silence, realize they’ve felt the same pain all along.”

From Theory to Practice

The HICC Theory isn’t locked in a notebook  it’s alive inside everything I create.

At Film Fiesta, it’s the philosophy that shapes our curation and conversation. Every screening, every panel, every discussion is rooted in empathy and curiosity.

At Akkhor Productions, HICC is how we build stories  from script to sound design. Every project begins with one question: Does it feel human enough to matter?

That’s what drives me. Not budgets, not trends, not numbers but meaning.

A Theory Still Evolving

I didn’t invent the HICC Theory,  I discovered it, slowly, through failure, learning, and listening.

It’s not perfect. It grows with every mistake I make, every story that humbles me, every silence that says more than words.

But I know this much:
Humanity keeps me grounded.
Imagination keeps me alive.
Conflict keeps me honest.
Connection keeps me human.

And that, to me, is cinema.
Not just motion pictures  but moving souls.

“Stories don’t end when the credits roll.
They continue — in the way we see, feel, and forgive.”

— Ahnaf Tazwar Haque
? Filmmaker | Festival Curator | Founder of Film Fiesta & Akkhor Productions