Private Project

Sure-Fire

SURE-FIRE is a fast-paced comedy short about a New York City con man, played by PJ Marshall ("Mindhunter," "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"), who stumbles into becoming a movie producer to pay off gangsters threatening to kill him and rewrites his own life's script in the process. Also featuring John Timothy (writer for TV's "Ghosts"), cinematography by Diana Matos (Netflix's "Go Off with Jess & Julissa"), costumes by Emily Gunshor ("Scream," "Halloween Kills," "Neighbors 2"), and production design by Kate Rance (Slamdance's "We Are Living Things").

Benny Boon, a New York City con man, needs to come up with $50,000 in 3 days to pay off a gangster--or else. Luckily, he meets a washed-up actress, Kitty Kinkaid, who's desperate for a comeback and claims to have the money to bankroll a screenplay. Benny then poses as a movie producer and hooks her with a script called "A Woman on the Edge." Problem is, the script doesn't exist, and Benny doesn't know how to write one. So he places an ad on Craigslist for a screenwriter and puts his scheme into high gear.

  • Michael Goldburg
    Director
    Aaron With 2 A's, What's Eating Dad?, Rye Manhattan, Happy Trails
  • Michael Goldburg
    Writer
    Aaron With 2 A's, What's Eating Dad?, Rye Manhattan, Happy Trails
  • Dave Chan
    Writer
    What's Eating Dad?, Rye Manhattan, 8-Ball
  • Michael Goldburg
    Producer
    Aaron With 2 A's, What's Eating Dad?, Rye Manhattan, Happy Trails
  • Dave Chan
    Producer
    Ambushed, What's Eating Dad?, 8-Ball
  • P.J. Marshall
    Key Cast
    Mindhunter, American Horror Story, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
  • Lué McWilliams
    Key Cast
    Naked As We Came; The Pill; The Brief, Existential Crisis of a Young Underwear Model
  • John Timothy
    Key Cast
    Ghosts (writer), The Sisters Plotz, UCB Comedy Originals
  • Michael Whalen - Composer
    Post-Production
    Veronika Decides to Die, What's Eating Dad?, American Experience
  • Luftar Von Rama - Editor
    Post-Production
    The Mandalorian, Da 5 Bloods, The Book of Boba Fett, Egg, Triumph
  • Emily Gunshor - Costume Designer
    Costume and Wardrobe Department
    Scream, Halloween Kills, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
  • Diana Matos
    Camera Department
    Go Off with Jess & Julissa, The Farewell
  • Kate Rance - Production Designer
    Art Department
    We Are Living Things, The Chair, Front Cover, Go Down Death
  • Project Type:
    Television
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Crime
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes 27 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 4, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, 2K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1:85
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Chattanooga Film Festival
    Chattanooga, Tennessee
    United States
    April 8, 2017
    North American Premiere
  • River Bend Film Festival
    Goshen, Indiana
    United States
    April 8, 2017
    WINNER: BEST ACTOR - PJ MARSHALL
  • Art of Brooklyn Film Festival
    Brooklyn, New York
    United States
    June 10, 2017
    East Coast Premiere
  • Lighthouse International Film Festival
    Long Beach Island, New Jersey
    United States
    June 9, 2017
  • Long Island International Film Expo
    Bellmore, New York
    United States
    July 14, 2017
  • Indy Film Fest
    Indianapolis, Indiana
    United States
    July 15, 2017
  • Kew Gardens Festival of Cinema
    Kew Gardens, New York
    United States
    August 5, 2017
    NOMINATED: BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - JOHN TIMOTHY
  • Williamsburg International Film Festival
    Brooklyn, New York
    United States
    September 16, 2017
  • Eau Claire World Film Festival
    Eau Claire, Wisconsin
    United States
    September 28, 2017
  • Bushwick Film Festival
    Brooklyn, New York
    United States
    October 13, 2017
  • Way Down Film Festival
    Columbus, Georgia
    United States
    October 14, 2017
  • Santa Fe Independent Film Festival
    Santa Fe, New Mexico
    United States
    October 20, 2017
    New Mexico Premiere
  • Adirondack Film Festival
    Glens Falls, New York
    United States
    October 22, 2017
  • Crown Heights Film Festival
    Brooklyn, New York
    United States
    October 27, 2017
  • Big Apple Film Festival
    New York, New York
    United States
    November 2, 2017
  • Williamsburg Independent Film Festival
    Brooklyn, New York
    United States
    November 17, 2017
    WINNER: BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY - PJ MARSHALL
  • New York No Limits Film Series
    New York, New York
    United States
    November 18, 2017
  • Et Cultura
    St. Petersburg, Florida
    United States
    November 17, 2017
    WINNER: BEST SCREENPLAY & BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY - PJ MARSHALL
  • San Jose International Short Film Festival
    San Jose, California
    United States
    December 8, 2017
  • Queens World Film Festival
    Queens, New York
    United States
    March 17, 2018
    NOMINATED: BEST COMEDY & BEST SCREENPLAY
  • Annapolis Film Festival
    Annapolis, Maryland
    United States
    March 23, 2018
  • Film Fest 52
    Bethel, Connecticut
    United States
    April 6, 2018
  • New Haven International Film Festival
    New Haven, Connecticut
    United States
    May 4, 2018
  • Portland Comedy Film Festival
    Portland, Oregon
    United States
    November 10, 2018
    NOMINATED: BEST DIRECTOR
  • Arkansas Shorts Film Festival
    Hot Springs, Arkansas
    United States
    January 5, 2019
  • Dumbo Film Festival
    Brooklyn, New York
    United States
    January 31, 2019
  • Roxy Underground Film Festival
    New York, New York
    United States
    March 26, 2019
  • Art Slope
    Brooklyn, New York
    United States
    April 7, 2019
  • Milledgeville-Eatonton (ME) Film Festival
    Milledgeville, Georgia
    United States
    April 25, 2019
    NOMINATED: BEST COMEDY
  • Roosevelt Island Film Festival
    New York, New York
    United States
    June 25, 2021
    WINNER: BEST COMEDY
Director Biography - Michael Goldburg

MICHAEL GOLDBURG is an award-winning writer/director who earned his M.F.A. at NYU's Graduate Film Program. His short films have screened in over 100 festivals, including his horror comedy, WHAT'S EATING DAD?, which screened in over 50 festivals, won multiple awards, and is featured on Amazon Prime. He was once offered compensation in pizza for a screenwriting job which became the inspiration for his celebrated comedy pilot, SURE-FIRE, which screened at numerous festivals and won or was nominated for multiple awards, including Best Comedy, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Actor for PJ Marshall (TV's "Mindhunter" and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"). The SURE-FIRE script also placed in numerous top screenwriting competitions, including ScreenCraft, Shore Scripts, and CineStory, and is a top-ranked script on Coverfly. Michael’s team for the SURE-FIRE series includes advisor Joe Pirro, Head of Production at Symbolic Exchange ("The Assistant"), founded by James Schamus (former CEO of Focus Features), who feels SURE-FIRE is one of the “funniest scripts he’s ever read” and Michael is “part of the next wave of emerging storytellers to break through to wider audiences.” Michael is also developing a feature adaptation of a darkly comic novel by the former book editor of "The Chicago Tribune,” which was accepted into Sundance Collab with Oscar-nominated screenwriter and advisor Naomi Foner. Michael has worked with creators from The Onion and Comedy Central and is a former script consultant with ScriptLaunch.

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Director Statement

SURE-FIRE was born out of director/writer Michael Goldburg's own experience of having been conned - er, hired - by a shady hustler/producer in New York City who wanted to pay him literally in pizza for a screenwriting job. True story. Though the script was never realized, Michael knew the "producer" would make a better character in a story of Michael's own creation. Thus the seeds of SURE-FIRE were born. Initially, Michael brought on Steve Wisniewski, a Nicholl Fellowships finalist, and Dave Chan, winner of the Nashville Film Festival Screenplay Competition, to collaborate on the pilot script for SURE-FIRE with him. When several of Michael's frequent collaborators then suggested actually making a pilot from the script, Michael jumped at the chance.

Ultimately, Michael strove to deliver a pilot that could be enjoyed on its own terms while also establishing the main characters and the tone and style of the series. To that end, Michael assembled an amazing cast, led by PJ Marshall (TV's "Mindhunter" and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel") and John Timothy (writer for TV's "Ghosts"), and a stellar crew, including Emmy award-winning composer Michael Whalen, costume designer Emily Gunshor ("Scream," "Halloween Kills," "Neighbors 2"), director of photography Diana Matos (Netflix's "Go Off with Jess & Julissa") and production designer Kate Rance (Slamdance's "We Are Living Things").

Stylistically, Michael wanted to ground the pilot in a gritty, New York City reality as well as depict the genuine distress of a small-time con man as he struggles to stay alive. His comedic influences were TV's "Barry," "Get Shorty," and "Better Call Saul" as well as Mel Brooks’ “The Producers” and feature crime comedies like “The Big Lebowski” and “Pulp Fiction." Michael also wanted to infuse the pilot with a timeless, retro feel, mirroring Benny’s character being stuck in the past and struggling to find redemption. SURE-FIRE is finally a personal work for Michael who feels a kinship with Benny and the tenacity with which he throws himself into the process of making a movie and also connects to its universal story about second chances and how it's never too late to "rewrite your life's script."