Tim Dowlin is a director, actor, and producer. He has been seen in The End of Love, where he played Tim. Dowlin was also previously one of the producers for the television film, The Coasters, which premiered in 2013. Dowlin continues his passion for the film industry, as his newest film is being released shortly.
Not only did Dowlin direct, write and produce his latest film, but he acted in it as a waiter. Not For Nothing made its way to the Philadelphia Film Festival in 2022. The film received first place for Best Picture at the Reading Pennsylvania Annual Film Festival in 2022.
The film highlights a man, Frankie, searching for answers upon the death of his girlfriend, Nicole. A fentanyl overdose caused Nicole’s death, so Frankie, his brother, and crew search for clues along the streets.
Actor Mark Webber stars in the film. Webber was previously seen in Snow Day, starring Chevy Chase and Chris Elliot. Lauren LaVera also stars in the movie playing Kelly. LaVera’s previous roles include Terrifier 2, starring David Howard Thornton and Elliot Fullam, and Dispatches from Elsewhere, starring Jason Segal.
Given the film’s immense success, Dowlin continues to prime the movie at various film festivals. On May 6, Dowlin will premiere his film at this year’s New York CineFest. New York CineFest is a festival that celebrates excellent films, connecting, interacting, and supporting artists and directors in the film world.
Although Dowlin made great efforts to create the must-see film, he could not do it alone. His co-director and co-writer, Frankie Tartaglia, worked with him every step of the way. As a result, Dowlin and Tartaglia were able to create an incredibly successful film. Unfortunately, Tartaglia passed away last November, after the release of Not For Nothing. His passing was very sudden and left many mourning in disbelief. Dowlin and the rest of the crew continue to honor him and his memory daily.
So how did Dowlin meet Frankie? “Frankie and I met at the High School for Creative and Performing Arts here, and Mark (Webber) and several other of our actors are also CAPA grads. I told Frank that I wanted to write something together with him, a modern-day South Philly Mafia film. From there, we explored who was the next generation of the Mob and what they were up to, and went down the path of who their sons and daughters were and what they were up to. An identity crisis of entitlement, of ego, of whose father was important, of where the respect is when there’s really little organized crime to be attached to and back it up… we started there. Wanting to make something realistic and authentic.”
Dowlin and Tartaglia wanted to create a film that hit close to home while spreading awareness of an issue at hand: the drug epidemic. In Philadelphia, this became an issue in recent years, given that there were 1,276 deaths in 2021 from drug overdose, and 82% of the deaths were from fentanyl. Given the many deaths from drug overdoses, it is important to spread awareness for people to become educated.
Dowlin expresses his perspective on drug overdose. “If you’re from Philly, you know someone who is battling with addiction and has overdosed. We wanted to tap into that, make that a motivating factor for revenge, for dealing with someone who is coming onto their turf and peddling poison.” Dowlin continues spreading awareness in any way he can.
For more information about the annual New York CineFest, click here. Also, learn more about Not for Nothing and Tim Dowlin in the hyperlinks.
