Firdaus earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Airlangga University in the East Java capital of Surabaya in 2006.[3] Upon graduation, she took on jobs as a reporter for several Indonesian-language publications such as Jawa Pos and Tempo up to 2014. Firdaus then became widely known by the Indonesian public for her investigative reports which have been published by several international organizations, including Time, Rappler, The Economist, Al Jazeera, Foreign Policy, and The Guardian.[4]
Her English-language reports often garner significant attention due to the perceived sensitivity of the issues she tends to highlight among the public, particularly those with conservative political leaning.[5] This includes the West Papuan independence movement and humanitarian issues, discrimination against the LGBT people, environmental degradation and its effects on indigenous groups, as well as the 1965–1966 anti-communist massacre carried out by the Indonesian military under then-president Suharto. Firdaus is also an editor for the podcast Ingat 65, which gives a platform to survivors and families of the massacre's victims.[5]
In 2020, Firdaus wrote, produced, and narrated the documentary film Our Mother's Land (Tanah Ibu Kami). Directed by Leo Plunkett, the film is produced by Mongabay and the Gecko Project. The film highlights the stories of women from disenfranchised and indigenous groups who have led movements against big corporations and government development projects that harm the environment.[6][7][8] The documentary premiered at the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival in Ubud, Bali, in October 2020 before being made available for streaming on YouTube the following month.[9]
In January 2021, Our Mother's Land was screened at the 19th Wild & Scenic Film Festival which was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, where it received the Spirit of Activism Award.[8][10]