Zahida Rahemtulla grew up in Burnaby on the unceded territories of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh-speaking peoples, and later spent years in Metchosin, Abu Dhabi, and Toronto. 

Her first play, The Wrong Bashir, premiered to a critically acclaimed, sold-out run in Vancouver and a sold-out, extended run in Toronto (Touchstone Theatre, 2023 and Crow's Theatre, 2024) . An audio version of the play was released by CBC’s PlayME in May 2025. Her second play, The Frontliners, a comedic drama about refugee resettlement, won a Playwrights Guild of Canada Tom Hendry Award, the Fringe New Play Prize, a Dorothy White Award, Theatre BC’s Play of Special Merit Award, and was runner-up for the national Voaden Prize in Playwriting. Her short stories have been shortlisted for the Alice Munro Short Story Festival Award and longlisted for the CBC short story prize.

Zahida is developing new acting training programs to support community actors of colour over 55—many of whom have spent their lives working outside the arts—in pursuing professional training, most recently with Nightswimming Theatre and Talk Is Free Theatre.

Zahida teaches and is currently an instructor in the Community Development and Outreach Department at Capilano University, where she teaches Adult Education. She also works at Blind Tiger Comedy in access.