Mahatma Putra

Mahatma Putra is a documentary director and photographer based in Bali & Jakarta, Indonesia.

After a PPIA–Voice of America fellowship in Washington, DC (2011–2012), where he worked as a video journalist, he began making independent documentaries on Indonesian environmental, social and cultural life. In 2013 he co-founded Anatman Pictures in Jakarta; the company now works from Jakarta and Bali, and became one of the first production houses in Southeast Asia certified as a B Corporation.

His feature documentaries, Batak, Perjalanan ke Tanah Leluhur (2012), Sintas (2018), Diam & Dengarkan (2020), Love Birth Life (2021), Atas Nama Daun (2022) and Terpejam untuk Melihat (2024), have been nominated five times for Piala Citra at the Festival Film Indonesia. His most recent film, A Tale of the Stolen River (2025), follows a family in Sepaku, East Kalimantan, as the construction of Indonesia's new capital reaches their land.

Putra's practice is shaped by the Buddhist idea that gives his company its name: anātman, no-self. He is drawn to people living at the edge of larger forces such as migration, politics, land and labour, and to a way of filming that invites the viewer to reflect instead of to be persuaded. He was one of the first to bring a cinematic documentary approach to commissioned work in Indonesia, and never uses AI-generated imagery in his productions.

He has photographed since 2006, exhibiting unbreakable (GFJA, 2007), The Kawah Ijen Warriors (GFJA, 2010) and anātman (Yogyakarta, 2024), and is completing his first photography book, anātman. He divides his time between Bali and Jakarta.

Short biography

Mahatma Putra is a documentary director and photographer based in Bali & Jakarta, Indonesia. A former Voice of America fellow, he co-founded Anatman Pictures in 2013. His features, including Atas Nama Daun, Terpejam untuk Melihat and A Tale of the Stolen River, have earned five Piala Citra nominations. He has photographed since 2006 and exhibited anātman in 2024.