The Zurich Film Festival has unveiled the first titles in their Gala section, which includes several films set to bring star power to the red carpet and directors with award-winning credentials.

Among the first 11 titles to be announced are “Conclave,” by the director of Oscar winner “All Quiet on the Western Front,” Edward Berger, with Ralph Fiennes , Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow leading the cast.

Also selected is Tim Fehlbaum’s “September 5,” starring Peter Sarsgaard, and Gia Coppola’s “The Last Showgirl,” which is toplined by Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Academy Award winner Steve McQueen, known for “12 Years a Slave,” is behind “Blitz,” featuring Saoirse Ronan and musician Paul Weller. Nick Hamm delivers “William Tell,” starring Claes Bang and Ben Kingsley.

Sean Baker's “Anora,” the recipient of the prestigious Palme d'Or at Cannes, also joins the lineup, as does Jesse Eisenberg's “A Real Pain,” showcasing a cast led by Kieran Culkin and Eisenberg himself.

World premieres include Michael Krummacher's “Landesverräter” and Sönke Wortmann's “Der Spitzname.”

Also included in the selection are Icíar Bollaín's “Soy Nevenka” and Josh Margolin's “Thelma.”

ANORA
Drama
U.S.
Director: Sean Baker
Cast: Mikey Madison, Paul Weissman, Lindsey Normington
Anora, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, finds herself in a Cinderella-like situation when she impulsively marries the son of an oligarch. However, when the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as the parents set out for New York to annul the marriage.

BLITZ
International Premiere
Drama/Action
U.K., U.S.
Director: Steve McQueen
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Elliot Heffernan, Harris Dickinson, Paul Weller
The film follows the journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy in World War II London whose mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) sends him to the countryside for safety. Determined to return home to Rita and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller), George embarks on an adventure that puts him in danger, while a distraught Rita searches for her missing son.

CONCLAVE
Thriller
U.K., U.S.
Director: Edward Berger
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow
Following the Pope's passing, Cardinal Lawrence (Fiennes) is entrusted with the crucial task of leading the search for a new Pope within the Vatican's intricate corridors. As Lawrence delves deeper, he finds himself at the heart of a complex conspiracy, where cardinals form alliances and engage in power struggles to advance their personal ambitions. With the political maneuvering intensifying, Lawrence uncovers a hidden secret concealed by the deceased Pope. This secret must be brought to light before a new Pope is chosen.

THE LAST SHOWGIRL
Drama
U.S.
Director: Gia Coppola
Cast: Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kiernan Shipka, Dave Bautista
Shelly, a seasoned showgirl, faces a turning point when her show abruptly closes after 30 years. As a dancer in her fifties, she grapples with her future. As a mother, she strives to repair the strained relationship with her daughter, who often took a backseat to her showgirl life.

A REAL PAIN
European Premiere
Drama
U.S.
Director: Jesse Eisenberg
Cast: Kieran Culkin, Jesse Eisenberg, Jennifer Grey, Will Sharpe
Mismatched cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) embark on a journey through Poland to learn more about the life of their recently deceased grandmother. This road trip, meant to explore the past, forces the two to confront their present relationship and family history.

LANDESVERRÄTER
World Premiere
History
Switzerland, Germany
Director: Michael Krummacher
Cast: Dimitri Krebs, Fabian Hinrichs, Stefan Gubser, Lena Wedler
During World War II in St. Gallen, a poor tramp named Ernst Schrämli, convinced he could become a famous singer in Germany, sold Swiss military information to a manipulative German Nazi spy. Caught in the act, Ernst became the first Swiss citizen sentenced to death for espionage and treason. “Landesverräter” is based on real events and portrays a young dreamer from the provinces who is exploited and betrayed during the war. Ernst Schrämli was the first of 17 traitors in Swiss history to be executed.

SEPTEMBER 5
Drama
Germany
Director: Tim Fehlbaum
Cast: Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Leonie Benesch, Ben Chaplin
Munich, September 5, 1972, day 10 of the Summer Olympics. Returning to Germany for the first time since 1936, these were meant to be known as the “cheerful games” to showcase a new, liberal Germany to the world. But at 4:40 a.m., the ABC’s team on the early shift hears gunshots fired in the Olympic Village nearby. A group of Palestinian terrorists has taken 11 members of the Israeli delegation hostage. Against the resistance of its own news department, the ABC Sports team reports live on the 21-hour hostage-taking. The film follows the story of Geoff (John Magaro), a young, ambitious producer striving to impress his boss, the legendary Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard). With the help of the German interpreter Marianne (Leonie Benesch), Geoff unexpectedly takes over the management of the live show. With time running out, contradicting rumors circulating, and the lives of the hostages at stake, Geoff has to make tough decisions and reflect on his own moral compass. How should one report on such a situation when the perpetrators are using the media attention for their own gain?

SOY NEVENKA
World Premiere
Drama
Spain
Director: Icíar Bollaín
Cast: Mireia Oriol, Ricardo Gomez, Pipo Suevos, Carlos Serrano
The true story of a trailblazer, Nevenka Fernández, the first woman to successfully hold a powerful and well-known politician accountable for sexual harassment in the workplace.

DER SPITZNAME
World Premiere
Comedy
Germany
Director: Sönke Wortmann
Cast: Iris Berben, Christoph Maria Herbst, Florian David Fitz, Janina Uhse
Anns (Janina Uhse) and Thomas (Florian David Fitz) are getting married, and they have invited their families to the Austrian Alps. Stephan (Christoph Maria Herbst) contemplates the current lives of the Böttchers, Wittmans, Bergers, and Königs while riding the ski lift. To everyone's surprise, Anna has pursued an acting career, Thomas is being considered for a promotion to a real estate company's management board, and Elisabeth (Caroline Peters) is secretly earning extra money with bitcoin trading. René (Justus von Dohnányi) has three-year-old twins with his wife Dorothea (Iris Berben) and appears to be a very protective dad. Stephan lost his job as a university professor due to an incident. The couple's teenage children, Cajus (Jana Volkmann) and Antigone (Kya-Celina Barucki), add more chaos to the family trip. Ultimately, not only the wedding itself but also the whole family dynamic is put to the test.

THELMA
Action
U.S.
Director: Josh Margolin
Cast: June Squibb, Fred Hechinger, Richard Roundtree, Parker Posey
When 93-year-old Thelma Post (June Squibb) gets tricked by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson, she embarks on a dangerous journey across the city to recover what was stolen from her. A story exploring aging, family, and independence (and inspired by action movies like “Mission: Impossible”) – “Thelma” is based on a real-life experience of writer/director Josh Margolin’s grandmother, and marks Squibb’s first leading film role in her 70 plus year career.

WILLIAM TELL
European Premiere
Epic
U.K., Italy
Director: Nick Hamm
Cast: Claes Bang, Connor Swindells, Ellie Bamber, Ben Kingsley
In the 14th century, within the Holy Roman Empire, European nations vie for dominance. The Austrians, seeking more land, push into Switzerland, a peaceful and rural country. When his wife, son, and country are threatened by the tyrannical Austrian king and his military forces, a once peaceful hunter and former crusader, William Tell, rallies his people to fight back.