Zamo Mkhwanazi was born in Durban, South Africa, and studied sociology at the University of Cape Town and copywriting at the AAA School of Advertising. She won Loerie and London Advertising Awards in her first year of advertising work. Transitioning to television, she wrote for Isidingo and scripted over 200 hours of South African TV. Her directorial debut was A Place Called Horne, which was followed by the short films Philia, The Call, and Gallo Rojo, which were screened at festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival, the Festival de Cannes, and the Sundance Film Festival. Her first feature-length film, Laundry, had its premiere at TIFF.