Carmel is an award-winning writer and director for stage and screen. Her debut feature film SNAP won her ‘Best Irish Feature’ and ‘Best Director’ at the Dublin Critics’ Circle Awards. In 2011, she was also awarded the ‘Irish Times Irish Theatre Best New Play’ award for her play B FOR BABY. Carmel has since participated in the Guiding Lights scheme for filmmakers, mentored by John Madden, and premiered four new plays THE REMAINS OF MAISIE DUGGAN, BEST MAN, WITNESS and SALT MOUNTAIN.
In 2018 Carmel was awarded the FIPRESCI Prize for the Discovery Programme at the Toronto International Film Festival following the world premiere of her second feature FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY.