Jennifer Zhang’s Horror Film “Charon” Shot on Smartphone & Edited During Lockdown

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With a runtime of 73 minutes, “Charon” is a psychological thriller shot entirely on an iPhone and edited on an app while filmmaker Jennifer Zhang was in complete self-isolation in her apartment. Only a month into its run on the independent film festival circuit, the unusual feature film produced under Flying Koi Entertainment is already catching buzz.

An official selection in a handful of festivals including the IndieFEST Film Awards, the FROSTBITE International Indie Fest, Jelly FEST Film Festival, and fetching a “Best Writer” nomination in the Alternative Film Festival, “Charon” was uniquely conceived and produced in a single apartment, with the filmmaker choosing to only utilize what she had locked in with her during quarantine. The film represents an ambitious solo effort in movie-making under unusually restrictive circumstances.

“Charon” follows a notorious hacker under house arrest whose boyfriend on the outside begins calling her with odd and dangerous requests. As his on-camera demands become increasingly dark and perverse, Charon’s existence hinges on her ability to unravel the mystery, all while trapped in her apartment.

“This project was an attempt to tell a gripping story with just myself, an iPhone, a tripod, the Videoshop mobile app, a few key remote collaborators, and eight lonely weeks,” says Zhang. “I could only hope that people found the end result entertaining and worthwhile. The early festival response has been really encouraging.”

“Charon” is written and produced by Jennifer Zhang, and co-stars Eric Radic who Skyped in his performance, and Marc Morisseau, who self-quarantined before shooting his role in the apartment. It features a haunting score by Korean-American mixer/composer Diana Cha, and cinematic color grading by the up-and-coming Chinese filmmaking duo — Layla Han Dong and Stan Mumei Song — who are slated to direct Zhang’s next feature, “Angela.”

Jennifer Zhang’s debut feature ‘The Evil Inside” was a horror film with wide festival acclaim that was released in 2011. Since then, she has worked extensively in live production, has acted in independent films, and has optioned several of her screenplays, with an eye toward returning to feature filmmaking this year.