Manuel Betancourt

Manuel is a New York City-based writer, editor, and critical thinker. A pop culture enthusiast and an eternal Buffy fan, he mostly writes about queer and Latinx media and culture.

He's a regular contributor to Remezcla and Backstage Magazine. He has a regular monthly column ("Movie-Made Gay") over at Catapult. Featured in Film Comment, Esquire, The Atlantic, Electric Literature, Los Angeles Review of Books & Vice, among others.
He's one of the writers of Chad Sell's graphic novel The Cardboard Kingdom (Knopf Books for Young Readers), a New York Times Summer Pick.

Writing Portfolio here.

Featured Writing

For Remezcla:

Where Are The Latino Film Critics And Why Do They Matter?

Though traditional film criticism is changing, critics and bloggers still have the power to shape box office success. So how do we get Latino voices to make a dent into the critical conversation?

For BuzzFeed Reader:

Julia Roberts Is Done Being America's Sweetheart

The actor's performances in Homecoming, Ben is Back and other recent projects push back against the image that has defined the American actress for much of her career.

For The Atlantic:

RuPaul’s Drag Race and the Art of Self-Love

The reality show’s emphasis on the survival stories of its contestants reveals how performance can be empowering. Ru and her queens epitomize the power of self-love in a community that continues to struggle with self-acceptance.

For Electric Literature:

‘Call Me By Your Name’ Made Me Realize What the Closet Stole From Me

A personal essay on how both novel and movie are perfect expressions of unabashed gay teenage love.

Featured Projects

HBO’s LGBT History

Starting with a look at Harvey Fierstein’s Tidy Endings (1988), this weekly column at The Film Experience studies the way the cable network has tackled gay storylines in its award-winning films, miniseries and TV shows.

Watch: In 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' Doorways Were Everything

To say 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' was deceptively light is a not-so-deceptive understatement. This featured supercut asks us to go deeper into the cult classic.