The Zurich Film Festival has unveiled the first titles in its gala section, which includes several films that will bring star power to the red carpet and award-winning directors.
Among the first 11 titles to be announced is “Conclave,” from “All Quiet on the Western Front” Oscar-winning director Edward Berger, with Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow leading the cast.
Also selected are Tim Fellbaum's “September 5th,” starring Peter Sarsgaard, and Gia Coppola's “The Last Showgirl,” starring Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Oscar winner Steve McQueen, who won the award for “12 Years a Slave,” presents “Blitz,” starring Saoirse Ronan and rock star Paul Weller, while Nick Hamm presents “William Tell,” starring Claes Bang and Ben Kingsley.
Also joining the list are Sean Baker's Palme d'Or winner “Anora”, and Jesse Eisenberg's “True Pain,” which stars an ensemble cast led by Kieran Culkin and Eisenberg.
World premieres include Michael Krumacher's “Landesverräter” and Sönke Wortmann's “Der Spitzname.”
The lineup also includes “Soy Nevenka” by Icíar Bollaín and “Thelma” by Josh Margolin.
Anora
drama
we
Director: Sean Baker
Cast: Mikey Madison, Paul Weisman, Lindsay Normington
Anora, a young sex worker from Brooklyn, gets a chance at a Cinderella story when she meets the son of a businessman and marries him on the spot. But when news reaches Russia, her fairy tale is threatened when the parents fly to New York to annul the marriage.
Blitz
International Premiere
Drama/Action
United Kingdom, United States
Director: Steve McQueen
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Elliot Heffernan, Harris Dickinson, Paul Weller
The film follows the epic journey of George (Elliot Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy in London during World War II, who is sent by his mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) to the safety of the English countryside. Rebellious and determined to return to Rita and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, George sets out on an adventure, only to find himself in immense danger, while a devastated Rita searches for her missing son.
The forum
stir
United Kingdom, United States
Director: Edward Berger
Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow
After the death of the Pope, Cardinal Lawrence (Fiennes) is tasked with leading the search for a new Pope in the farthest reaches of the Vatican. Lawrence soon finds himself at the center of a conspiracy as the Cardinals form factions and foster rivalries to further their own ambitions. As the political intrigue intensifies, Lawrence learns that the late Pope has been hiding a secret from them. That secret must be revealed before a new Pope can be elected.
Latest Fashion Models
drama
we
Director: Gia Coppola
Cast: Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kiernan Shipka, Dave Bautista
Shelley, a professional dancer, must plan her future when her show suddenly closes after 30 years. As a dancer in her 50s, she struggles with what to do next. As a mother, she struggles to mend her strained relationship with her daughter, who has often backed away from her role as a dancer.
Real pain
European Premiere
drama
we
Director: Jesse Eisenberg
Cast: Kieran Culkin, Jesse Eisenberg, Jennifer Grey, Will Sharp
Mismatched cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) meet on a road trip through Poland to discover more about the life of their recently deceased grandmother. The road trip, intended as a journey into the past, confronts the two with the present, as they question their mutual connection and their family history.
land converter
World Premiere
date
Switzerland, Germany
Director: Michael Krumacher
Cast: Dimitri Krebs, Fabian Henrichs, Stefan Gubser, Lena Weidler
St. Gallen during World War II: Having deluded himself into believing that he might become a famous singer in Germany, poor tramp Ernst Schrameli sells Swiss military information to a manipulative Nazi German spy. When he is caught, Ernst becomes the first Swiss to be sentenced to death for espionage and treason. Based on real events, the film “Landesverräter” depicts a dreamy young man from the provinces who is exploited and betrayed during the war. Ernst Schrameli was the first of 17 traitors in Swiss history to be executed.
September 5
drama
Germany
Director: Tim Fellbaum
Starring: 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 supposed to be known as the “Glamorous Games” to showcase Germany's new liberal image to the world. But at 4:40 a.m., the ABC early-shift team hears gunshots in the nearby Olympic Village. A group of Palestinian terrorists have taken 11 members of the Israeli delegation hostage. Despite resistance from his news department, the ABC Sports team provides a live report of the 21-hour hostage situation. The film follows Jeff (John Magaro), an ambitious young producer desperate to impress his legendary boss Ron Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard). With the help of his German translator Marianne (Leonie Benesch), Jeff unexpectedly takes over the live show. With time running out, conflicting rumors circulating, and the lives of the hostages on the line, Jeff must make tough decisions and weigh his moral compass. How should one approach such a situation when perpetrators exploit media attention for their own ends?
Soybean Nevkina
International Premiere
drama
Spain
Director: Issiar Poulain
Starring: Mireia Oriol, Ricardo Gomez, Pipo Soivos, Carlos Serrano
A true case of a trailblazer, Nevenka Fernandez: the first woman to successfully bring an influential and popular politician to justice for sexual harassment in the workplace.
Nickname
World Premiere
comedy
Germany
Director: Sonke Wortman
Cast: Iris Berben, Christoph Maria Herbst, Florian David Weitz, Janina Ohsi
Anne (Janina Ohsi) and Thomas (Florian David Wetz) want to get married and have invited their family to the Tyrolean Alps. In his usual bad mood, Stefan (Christoph Maria Herbst) reflects on the current life of the Böttcher, Wittmann, Berger and König families while on the ski lift. To everyone's surprise, Anna has started an acting career after all, and Thomas is about to be promoted to the management committee of a real estate group – on condition that he passes a mandatory allergy training course. Stefan's wife Elisabeth (Caroline Peters) still works as a teacher but secretly boosts her family budget by trading bitcoins. René (Justus von Dohnanyi), who has three-year-old twins with his wife Dorothea (Iris Berben), turns out to be an overprotective father. Stefan himself has recently been fired from his job as a university professor; there has been an incident. Stefan and Elisabeth's two young children, Kajos (Jana Volkman), 18, and Antigone (Kia Selina Baroqui), 17, add further chaos to the otherwise idyllic scene. And in the end, it's not just the wedding that falls apart.
Thelma
an act
we
Director: Josh Margolin
Cast: June Squibb, Fred Hitchinger, Richard Roundtree, Parker Posey
When 93-year-old Thelma Post (June Squibb) is conned by a phone scammer posing as her grandson, she sets out on a treacherous cross-city mission to reclaim what was taken from her. An exploration of aging, family and independence (and inspired by action films like “Mission: Impossible”) – “Thelma” is based on the real-life experience of writer-director Josh Margolin’s grandmother, and marks Squibb’s first major role in her 70-plus-year career.
William Tell
European Premiere
epic
United Kingdom, Italy
Director: Nick Hamm
Cast: Claes Bang, Connor Swindells, Ellie Bamber, Ben Kingsley
14th century. Within the Holy Roman Empire, European nations compete for dominance. The land-hungry Austrians are pressing into Switzerland, a quiet country. While his wife, son, and country are threatened by the tyrannical Austrian king and his warlords, peaceful hunter and former Crusader William Tell leads his people into rebellion.
