Awards
Films Directed & Written by Joel:
- Best Indie Award – 2015 Canadian Film Festival
- Best New Voice in Canadian Film – 2015 Canadian Film Festival
- Best Actor – 2015 Canadian Film Festival
- Best of Fest – 2015 Anti Hero Film Festival
- Best Director – 2015 Anti Hero Film Festival
- Best Screenplay – 2015 Anti Hero Film Festival
- Best Dark Comedy Feature – 2015 Anti Hero Film Festival
- Best Actor in A Comedy – 2015 Anti Hero Film Festival
- Best Actress in a Comedy – 2015 Anti Hero Film Festival
- Best Feature Film – 2015 Just awards fest
- Best Documentary Feature – 2015 Borrego Springs Film Festival
- Audience Choice Best Documentary Feature – 2015 Red Rock Film Festival
- Audience Choice best Documentary Feature – 2014 Newport Beach Film Festival
- Audience Choice best Documentary Feature – 2014 Sonoma International Film Festival
- Audience Choice best Micro-budget Film- 2014 Maui International Film Festival
- Best LGBT Short Director – NYCIFF (2011)
- 2011 Directors Guild of Canada B.C. District Council Keith Cutler Award (2011)
- Best Screenplay- Vancouver Short Film Festival (2012)
- Best Student Short- Vancouver Short Film Festival (2012)
- 2012 Award of Excellence– Canada International Film Festival (2012)
- 2012 Gold Kauna Award for Student film– Honolulu Film Awards (2012)
- Top audience voted film- Expedia/NFFTY international Find Yours Competition (2012)
- Viewers Choice Award – Living Skies Student Film Festival
- 2nd Place Film (Jury) -Expedia/NFFTY international Find Yours Competition (2012)
- Grand prize Winner Purdy’s Chocolate Video Contest (2012)
- Audience choice Screening (top 30 of 600 films) – NYC Downtown Film Festival (2012)
- NFFTY: Late Night Comedy: Audience Award (2011)
- Honourable Mention– LARFF (2011)
- Off the Grid BC Hydro Video Contest, Winner 2008
- Quick Flick Challenge, Top Student Film Award (2006-2008)
- BC Student Film Festival, 2nd Place Jr. Film (2007)
Press
The Stranger Too Bad You Missed NFFTY
“Funny. Sweet. Great acting by the kids.”
The Other Press – The Kids Are Alright
“While the talent was abundant throughout, the crème de la crème of the festival were the Centerpiece Gala shorts, which organizers promoted as the “best of the best by names you’ll be sure to see again.””
The Tri-Cities- Love and Hate In Short Film
“On Aug. 21, Why Does God Hate Me? won best director in the gay/lesbian short film category at the New York City International Film Festival.”
The Imaginarium of Jake- NFFTY 2012
“The best film of the festival, in my opinion, was ‘Why Does God Hate Me?’, by the brilliant Canadian, Joel Ashton McCarthy. Keep an eye on that page for when the film is released online, as it seriously is a work of genius.”
The Tri-City News- Port Moody Director’s Film Project Draws 58,000 Xbox Fans
“The effort presented photos, videos and narratives from everyday people illustrating how travel has transformed them, including a poignant video by young filmmaker Joel Ashton McCarthy as he journeyed to spread the ashes of his deceased brother (“Find Your Goodbye”).”
“According to filmmaker Warren Carr, “Gastown Rap” captured the spirit of the Vancouver Minute contest better than any other entry. Carr, along with Peter Leitch, president of North Shore Studios and Mammoth Studios, served as the contest judges and picked McCarthy’s video for the Critic’s Choice award based on the video’s quality, originality and local relevance.”
“The Critic’s Choice award goes to Joel McCarthy for his highly amusing “Gastown Rap.”
The award was chosen by our two judges: Peter Leitch, head of Vancouver and North Shore Studios and chair of the B.C. Motion Picture Production Industry Association, and Warren Carr local filmmaker and producer, who’s worked on Bourne Legacy, Happy Gilmore and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, among others.”
Confessions of a Queer: God Does Not Hate You
http://ginanoelledaggett.blogspot.ca/
“My two favourites were Why Does God Hate Me (written/directed by Joel Ashton McCarthy) and Ben Voyons, Camille (written/directed by Carole Ducharme).”
Joel Ashton McCarthy 