Joel, a native of The Bronx, New York, draws inspiration from the culture of his Dominican-American community (first encountered in the barbershops and hair salons his family frequented) and from his lifelong love of urban music and art. These early influences sparked a passion for storytelling that eventually led him to filmmaking. Self-taught initially, Joel began experimenting with short films at a young age, often working solo and casting actors via Craigslist. His pursuit of craft later took him to the University of Southern California, the University of the Arts London (as a Fulbright Scholar), and the National Film and Television School, where he focused on writing and directing.
Joel remains rooted in a grassroots filmmaking ethos, favoring street casting and semi-improvised dialogue to preserve the raw intimacy and authenticity that define his voice. His recent work explores the porous boundaries between documentary and fiction, developed through close collaboration with marginalized communities both in front of and behind the camera. His films often grapple with themes of diasporic identity, coming of age, and social, racial, and economic justice — striving always for nuanced, humanizing portrayals of urban life.
Among his honors: Joel is a recipient of the Tribeca Film Institute’s All Access grant and WarnerMedia’s Our Local Is Global initiative, a winner of the Locarno Pardi di Domani Best Direction Award, and was named a “New Face of Independent Film” by Filmmaker Magazine. His debut feature, Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo), premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival where it received a Special Jury Award, as well as internationally at the 75th Berlinale.
Debut Feature
Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) (2025)
In a tight-knit community in The Bronx, a teen spends the summer selling “nutcracker” cocktails out of a beach cooler and shirking responsibility. But when his underage girlfriend moves into his cramped apartment, their messy, complicated love soon crashes with the reality of growing up too fast in a city that waits for no one.
Selections/Awards:
2025 Sundance Film Festival, NEXT: Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast
75th Berlinale, Perspectives Official Selection
Film at Lincoln Center and MoMA present: New Directors/New Films 2025
2025 Jeonju International Film Festival, Grand Prize
2025 Lower East Side Film Festival, Best of Fest
69th San Francisco International Film Festival
2025 Los Angeles Latino Independent Film Festival
2025 Champs-Élysées Film Festival
2025 Taipei International Film Festival
Inquiries: Cinetic Media (NA), Salaud-Morriset (INTL)
Shorts
May It Go Beautifully for You, Rico (2024)
A teen and his underage girlfriend sell illegally brewed cocktails called “Nutcrackers” in The Bronx to get by.
Selections/Awards:
77th Locarno Film Festival, Pardi di Domani Official Selection
Pardi di Domani Best Direction Award (Locarno FF)
Panalux Best Cinematography Award (2024 NFTS Showcase)
Neutral*
A teen and his mother try to rebuild following a domestic violence incident.
*in post-production
Shadow (2023)
A boy tries to steer his older brother clear of trouble while trailing behind him and his rowdy friends in a South London council estate.
Selections/Awards:
2024 Aesthetica Film Festival
2024 South London Film Festival
Best Student Film Award (SLFF)
Target is Hiring (2020)
While dancing in the subway on the eve of starting her first job, a Harlem teen suspects her love for dance and her new responsibilities will inevitably collide.
Selections/Awards:
2018 Warner Media 150 Our Local Is Global Grantee (Tribeca Film Institute)
2019 Tribeca Film Festival TFF x TFI, Out of Competition
2021 Harlem International Film Festival
2021 Lower East Side Film Festival
Best Live Action Short Film Award (LESFF)
Partners
News
April 2025
Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) premieres in New York at the 54th Edition of New Directors/New Films (ND/NF)
February 2025
Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) premieres internationally at the 75th Berlinale
February 2025
Joel is represented by Albert Lee and Marissa Frobes at Creative Artists Agency (CAA)
January 2025
Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) is the recipient the NEXT: Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival
January 2025
Joel’s debut feature: Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo) premieres at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival
September 2024
Joel is named one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film (Filmmaker Magazine)
August 2024
Joel is the recipient of the 77th Locarno Film Festival Pardi di Domani Best Direction Award
August 2024
May It Go Beautifully for You, Rico premieres at the 77th Locarno Film Festival
May 2024
Joel is represented by Liam Francis Quigley / Entertainment 360
March 2024
Shadow is the recipient of the Best Student Film Award at the South London Film Festival
February 2024
May It Go Beautifully for You, Rico is the recipient of the Panalux Best Cinematography Award at the NFTS Showcase
JOEL ALFONSO VARGAS 