Lawrence Abu Hamdan is a researcher, filmmaker, artist and activist or as he puts it a ‘Private Ear’. He has over a decade of experience investigating audio and a doctorate from the University of London on the role of sound in legal investigations and political discourse. In 2023 he founded Earshot, the world’s first not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the study of audio for human rights and environmental advocacy. His work has been presented in the form of forensic reports, lectures and live performances, films, publications, and exhibitions all over the world. His investigative work has been used as evidence at the UK Asylum and Immigration Tribunal and in a formal request to the International Criminal Court. His research has played a central role in advocacy campaigns for organisations such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Forensic Architecture. 

With Zifzafa, Lawrence Abu Hamdan is taking part in Dream City for the second time. In 2022, he presented Daght Jawi at the Cité des Sciences in Tunis, then in Brussels in 2024 as part of Dream City x KANAL. This year, the festival is supporting and co-producing his new creation.