Zara Zerny was born in Ontario, Canada, and moved to Denmark at the age of eight. She graduated in filmmaking from the independent film school Super16 in Copenhagen, where she directed three films blending documentary and fiction.

Zara holds a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design from the Rietveld School of Art & Design in Amsterdam, where she graduated in 2011.

Alongside her own productions, she has directed commercials and written treatments for other directors. Additionally, she assisted Danish filmmaker Jesper Just in New York in 2012 and collaborated with Dutch fashion designer Anne de Grijff on fashion film productions.