Ricardo Betancourt is a Venezuelan-born director, producer, and artist, raised in New Orleans and based between New York City and Washington, DC. He began his filmmaking career as a producer, with creative work spanning music videos, commercials, documentaries, and short films, as well as writing and editing in the commercial world. His visual art practice extends to painting, where he creates “PATHS” or “CAMINOS” using oil, acrylic, and paint markers on handmade paper and found materials.

Ricardo has worked with clients including STARZ, Capitol Records, Universal Music Group, Can-Am, Stanley, Edifier, 88rising, Wounded Warrior Project, and Honda. His paintings and photography have been featured during Art All Night in Washington, D.C., and his commissioned video work has been presented with the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington.

Ricardo serves on the board of Minorities in Film and is part of the Undocumented Filmmakers Collective. He has been selected for the Emerging Voices Directors Lab in New Orleans, The Gotham Storytellers to Watch, and the Sundance Institute Latine Fellowship. His hybrid documentary short SUDAKAS explores immigrant identity and labor through the story of his mother, while his first narrative feature, REPARTIDORES (also known as EXODOS), is currently in development. Both are rooted in his personal experiences and global perspective.