Film Independent Spirit Awards
In 2012, Castillo was awarded an AFI Honorable Mention in Performance for his lead role in "Narcocorrido". Raul Castillo won a special mention at the Ashland Independent Film Festival in 2012 for his role in "My Best Day." In 2014, the National Association of Latino Independent Producers presented Castillo with the Lupe Award – named after the late, pioneering Latina actress Lupe Ontiveros – in recognition of his breakout performance in "Looking". His is the second actor to be awarded the Lupe Award since its creation. He also won Best Performance - Comedy at the NAMIC Vision Awards for his performance in "Looking." He has been nominated several times for his supporting role as Richie in "Looking", including at the 2016 NAMIC Vision Awards and the 2015 and 2016 Imagen Foundation Awards. In November 2016 he received a Film Independent Spirit Awards nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in "We the Animals."