Prakash Matada

National Geographic Explorer Prakash Matada is an award-winning wildlife filmmaker and an American Society of Cinematographers Fellow. He divides his time between creating wildlife conservation films and doing camerawork for natural history documentaries. From rain-battered forests to sub-zero conditions, his projects have taken him into some of the planet’s most challenging environments and involved extensive work with threatened or endangered species like tigers, lions and langurs. Throughout his career, Prakash has won many reputed awards, including accolades from the two most prestigious wildlife film festivals in the world: Jackson Wild and Wildscreen.

As a cameraperson, Prakash predominantly focuses on natural history and specializes in capturing animal behaviors in cinematic, narrative styles. His filmography includes sequences from many documentaries—such as Apple TV's Big Beast, the BBC's The Hunt and Planet Earth III—as well as his award-winning independent film Flying Elephants and an upcoming docuseries for National Geographic. With his projects, Prakash aims to craft stories that inspire a genuine love of the natural world in people from all walks of life. In addition to his work, he actively and passionately mentors’ individuals from Asia and Africa in wildlife filmmaking.