The 2025 Leo Awards were held at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Vancouver on July 12th and 13th. Zara Durrani was nominated for Best Host in the Information, Lifestyle, or Reality Series category.
Here is our conversation with Zara Durrani.
HNMAG: You were born in Pakistan?
Zara Durrani: Yes, I was born in Lahore and lived there until I was seventeen. By the age of seven, though, I had already lived in seven different countries across Asia. My mother dreamed of moving to Europe, France or Italy were always on her mind, but eventually, Canada became home. I’ve now lived here for twenty-five years.
HNMAG: How did you get into performing?
Zara Durrani: Believe it or not, I was actually planning to join the Canadian military for the travel opportunities. But life had other plans! By chance, I stumbled into a modeling opportunity. The moment I stepped on stage, I realized how natural it felt—I had presence, awareness, and a connection with the audience. That experience opened the door to acting, and eventually to hosting.
HNMAG: How was acting for you after that?
Zara Durrani: At first, it was mostly small, very typical roles. Around 2010, I joined conversations about why diverse actors weren’t being offered bigger opportunities. That’s when I realized I didn’t want to wait for permission to play a bigger part in the story. I started hosting and producing my own projects so I could call the shots, highlight the stories I cared about, and create opportunities instead of waiting for them.
HNMAG: Back then, the industry wasn’t exactly known for inclusive writing.
Zara Durrani: Exactly. So many shows set in diverse cities like New York were still overwhelmingly caucasian. As a person of colour, when you don’t see yourself represented, you start to believe you’re a side character in your own story. Hosting gave me the power to rewrite that narrative not just for myself, but for my guests and audience too. I’m very intentional about the people I bring on and the stories I share.
HNMAG: How did you start your career on TV as a host?
Zara Durrani: It started serendipitously. I was at a film festival, doing red carpet interviews for the first time, and I was approached to host a show for NOVUS. That became Van Essence, a lifestyle program covering arts, entertainment, and events.
HNMAG: And that eventually grew into a national show?
Zara Durrani: Yes! Each segment of VanEssence was under ten minutes, but that experience led to Life & Style with Zara, a half-hour lifestyle and spirituality show. Suddenly I had a twenty-person team and distribution across four networks in Canada. I was really green, but it was an incredible leap and such a rewarding adventure.
HNMAG: This year, you were nominated for On Location with Zara Durrani.
Zara Durrani: Yes, and I’m so proud of that. The show is produced with the support of TELUS STORYHIVE, and it’s allowed me to highlight the people and communities of BC in such a meaningful way. What makes it even more special is that I’m doing this work as a one-woman crew now for over a year now filming, producing, and hosting myself. It’s a labour of love, but it gives me such creative freedom.
HNMAG: That’s terrific. Congratulations. Do you get to travel?
Zara Durrani: This is the first year the show has taken me on the road, and it’s been such a gift. I recently filmed in Cranbrook and Terrace—my first visits to both—and I was blown away. After traveling all over the world, it feels so powerful to explore my own backyard and discover the richness of BC through fresh eyes. Every town has its own rhythm, its own resilience, and I feel truly honoured to capture and share those stories.
HNMAG: You’ve also had international success.
Zara Durrani: Yes, while living in France I worked on Emmy-nominated projects like Fashion News Live, covering Paris Fashion Week and even traveling to Morocco on assignment. I also had the opportunity to cover UN Climate Action Summit, attend World Influencers Congress in Uzbekistan, Cambodia and Lebanon. Recently, I covered the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, and I’ve just wrapped filming on my new series Wanderlusting in France. It’s currently in post-production, and I can’t wait for audiences to see it.
HNMAG: After doing your own work, more significant bookings for diverse roles opened up.
Zara Durrani: Currently I am focusing primarily on hosting and producing, but I’ve also been on Arrow, The 100, and Psych, as well as some award-winning indie projects. While living in France I had the opportunity to work on Emmy nominated shows like Fashion News Live covering Paris Fashion Week and traveling on assignment to Morocco. Recently I was working the red carpet during the Cannes Film Festival and wrapped production on my upcoming show called Wanderlusting. We are currently in post-production right now.
HNMAG: When you’re creating a show, what drives you?
Zara Durrani: Universal love! I’ve lived around the world, and people can feel that in my energy, even if they don’t speak the same language. The work that I do is to show and highlight the brilliance and resilience of the human spirit. Traveling and exploring different places and cultures, we can find our similarities.
HNMAG: Your show is getting a bit of a makeover as On Location in Vancouver. Do you have air dates for that now?
Zara Durrani: Right now, I get an opportunity to travel to small towns in BC and show the real people that live and work in this province. It makes me more excited to showcase other parts of our province.
From Paris runways to BC backroads, Zara Durrani brings the same passion, curiosity, and grace to every story she tells. As a Leo Award–nominated host and producer, she continues to prove that meaningful storytelling can be created anywhere even by a single determined woman with a camera. With On Location and her international series Wanderlusting in France, Zara is redefining what it means to be a Canadian host with a global heart and a local soul.
Zara Durrani is not only one of Vancouver’s most talented host and performers, but she is an ambitious and productive show runner. She has more international experience than most people, and this is something that she uses to produce compelling content. Zara is very busy, curious, and passionate about sharing what the world has to offer. She is also putting BC front and centre for audiences around the world. We look forward to our next conversation.