Head of AJ Contrast, Al Jazeera Digital @RXahra
Zahra Rasool is a three-time Emmy-nominated producer, director, writer and media entrepreneur whose storytelling and innovation centers marginalized communities and people of color. In May 2017, she created and launched a media innovation and storytelling studio, AJ Contrast; part of Al Jazeera Media Network, which she currently leads. Still Here, her recent work about incarceration and gentrification in Harlem premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Throughout her 10-year career, Zahra has directed, written and produced numerous documentaries and creative fiction projects, as well as advertising campaigns and immersive experiences. Zahra was recognized as a Global Media Gamechanger at the International Broadcasting Convention (2018), nominated for the Robert G. McGruder Award for Diversity Leadership (2019) and the American Express Nextgen Leadership Award (2020). She was also chosen as one of ten young leaders to participate in the UN's Emerging Leaders Lab (2019). She was awarded a Gracie for Best National Online Producer by the Alliance of Women in Media Foundation (2021) along with 36 other awards that include an NABJ Award, Amnesty Media Award, RTDNA Award and two Online Journalism Awards (OJA). Zahra’s films have been screened at over 40 international film festivals including at Sundance, Sheffield DocFest and Berlinale.