Episodi

  • Episode 35 —Acclaimed Cinematographer Benoît Debie on Intuition and Experimentation in Film with Host Chloe Aftel

    Episode 35 —Acclaimed Cinematographer Benoît Debie on Intuition and Experimentation in Film with Host Chloe Aftel
    Dec 31 2025
    Acclaimed Belgian cinematographer Benoît Debie joins host Chloe Aftel to discuss the way that encouraging experimentation and improvisation in film can push the story even further and make the visuals even more impactful to the audience. Debie discusses how his process came to be, citing his time working on his first feature film, Gaspar Noé’s Irreversible (2002), and how having the limitation of only using natural lighting in that project while also trying to preserve the color in the scenes taught him to embrace spontaneity and intuition as a part of his artistic process. He discusses some of the techniques, tools, and processes he uses to create these visuals, emphasizing the importance of experimentation and how failure can create the most inspiration towards a better final image. Debie also discusses the importance of respecting not just the story and the audience, but also the creatives as well, discussing how his collaboration with his crew is the most significant part of his process and how leading with respect creates an environment that actualizes potential through failure, embracing unknowns and always learning.


    Highlights:
    • Debie talks about intentional accidents and how working with Gaspar Noé has helped him embrace being willing to tackle a project with flexibility and intuition in mind
    • He brings up the flexibility that working in both feature film and commercial work allows him, saying that by working in both it gives him the freedom to be more selective about the projects he decides to pursue
    • Debie talks about his approaches to portraying female characters, especially when the scene involves sensitive topics, stating that it’s important to respect both the story and the character, and how the use of exploitation in those visuals would only take away from the impact of the story
    • He discusses various different techniques he uses to create different effects, including using older lenses when shooting digitally to help give the visuals a more natural and analog look

    Biographies:

    Benoît Debie is an acclaimed Belgian cinematographer, best known for his innovative and experimental approaches when it comes to lighting and color grading. He grew up in Belgium and began his career working as a camera assistant after graduating from the Institut des Arts de Diffusion. Throughout his early career he worked both in television and on various short films and commercials, but he would eventually get contacted by frequent collaborator, Argentinian director Gaspar Noé, to work as a director of photography on Noé’s 2002 feature film Irréversible, a project he said working on helped create the foundation for his visual style. Since then he has worked on various feature projects, including Innocence (2004), Enter the Void (2009), Spring Breakers (2012), and The Sisters Brothers (2018), the latter in which his work on ended up earning him a César Award for Best Cinematography the same year.

    Chloe Aftel has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed & Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and more. Aftel has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on COVID 19's impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in COVID wards of the West Coast’s hardest-hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Aftel's first book, Outside & In Between, is an award-winning anthology covering gender non-conforming people across the United States.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-other-pod-with-chloe-aftel--6567483/support.
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    1 ora e 4 min
  • Catholic Priest and Activist Michael Pfleger Takes on the Lightning Round!

    Catholic Priest and Activist Michael Pfleger Takes on the Lightning Round!
    Dec 15 2025
    Welcome to our 'Lightning Round' with Other podcast guest and Catholic Priest Michael Pfleger! The idea is to ask questions that he — and hopefully you — don't expect, and that the answers will be as equally interesting and hopefully amusing. Please enjoy.


    Biographies:

    Michael Pfleger is an American Catholic priest and social activist who has gained notoriety in recent years for being outspoken about the countless systemic issues and injustices that exist within the Catholic Church and how they impact the world around us. Pfleger was ordained as a priest in May of 1977 by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, after studying at Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary South, Loyola University, and the University of Saint Mary of the Lake. He would then go on to lead the Parish of Saint Sabina, a predominantly black church located in the heart of Chicago where he has been since 1981. In his work he emphasizes leading with love rather than judgement and has dedicated his time to running food drives, encouraging sex worker outreach, and helping lead local anti drug campaigns. Under his leadership, Saint Sabina has also been able to develop various programs to provide resources for their community, including an elder’s home, a social center, and an employment resource center.

    Chloe Aftel has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed & Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and more. Aftel has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on COVID 19's impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in COVID wards of the West Coast’s hardest-hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Aftel's first book, Outside & In Between, is an award-winning anthology covering gender non-conforming people across the United States.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-other-pod-with-chloe-aftel--6567483/support.
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    4 min
  • Episode 34 — Michael Pfleger on Community Care, Systemic Justice, and Practicing Faith with Action

    Episode 34 — Michael Pfleger on Community Care, Systemic Justice, and Practicing Faith with Action
    Dec 1 2025
    American Catholic Priest and social activist Michael Pfleger sits down with host Chloe Aftel to discuss the weaponization of faith to target marginalized populations, the importance of taking care of your communities, and what it means to practice your faith through action. Pfleger discusses how he believes that justice and faith are inherently intertwined and in order to create safe and inclusive environments for those who most need it, they need to be met where they are with love rather than judgement. He criticizes many Republican leaders who use faith as a means to justify their attacks on the rights of vulnerable populations as well as the systems they rely on. He also brings light to some of the issues that are pushing young people away from the church, validating their concerns and emphasizing the importance of speaking up and holding institutions accountable.


    Highlights:
    • Pfleger talks about the impact that ICE raids have had on local communities and the fear and trauma that they result in
    • Pfleger discusses the Republican Party and how, despite the fact that they claim to be representative of Christianity, they are often acting in opposition to its teachings
    • Pfleger brings up the hypocrisy of the pro life movement, stressing that if you are not willing to advocate for the social systems that provide children and mothers with the means to not only survive but, to thrive, then you are not pro life
    • Aftel and Pfleger discuss Zohran Mamdani and how despite the fact that today many young people have given up on faith and government, grassroot campaigns like the one run by Mamdani have encouraged young people to take action, resulting in one of the largest youth voter turnouts in recent elections
    • Pfleger discusses how he believes that accountability is a Christian obligation and that justice is an idea that is central to the faith, citing moments from the bible where Jesus not only cared about and protected those who were vulnerable, but actively spoke out against the institutions that rendered them vulnerable to begin with

    Biographies:

    Michael Pfleger is an American Catholic priest and social activist who has gained notoriety in recent years for being outspoken about the countless systemic issues and injustices that exist within the Catholic Church and how they impact the world around us. Pfleger was ordained as a priest in May of 1977 by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, after studying at Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary South, Loyola University, and the University of Saint Mary of the Lake. He would then go on to lead the Parish of Saint Sabina, a predominantly black church located in the heart of Chicago where he has been since 1981. In his work he emphasizes leading with love rather than judgement and has dedicated his time to running food drives, encouraging sex worker outreach, and helping lead local anti drug campaigns. Under his leadership, Saint Sabina has also been able to develop various programs to provide resources for their community, including an elder’s home, a social center, and an employment resource center.

    Chloe Aftel has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed & Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and more. Aftel has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on COVID 19's impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in COVID wards of the West Coast’s hardest-hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Aftel's first book, Outside & In Between, is an award-winning anthology covering gender non-conforming people across the United States.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-other-pod-with-chloe-aftel--6567483/support.
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    1 ora e 2 min
  • Food Scientist and Health Advocate Marion Nestle Takes on the Lightning Round!

    Food Scientist and Health Advocate Marion Nestle Takes on the Lightning Round!
    Nov 15 2025
    Welcome to our 'Lightning Round' with Other podcast guest and food scientist Marion Nestle! The idea is to ask questions that she — and hopefully you — don't expect, and that the answers will be as equally interesting and hopefully amusing. Please enjoy.


    Biographies:

    Marion Nestle is an award winning author, molecular biologist, and health advocate. She received her Bachelors in bacteriology from UC Berkeley in 1959, as well as a Ph.D. in molecular biology and a MPH in public health nutrition. She went on to teach at NYU, where in 1996 she co founded the university’s Food Studies program in collaboration with food consultant Clark Wolf, paving the way for other universities to introduce food science programs into their curriculum. In 2013 she received the Healthful Food Council’s Innovator of the Year Award and the James Beard Leadership Award, as well as the Public Health Association of New York City’s Media Award the following year. She has written and received critical acclaim for several of her books, including Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health, Why Calories Count: From Science to Politics, and her 2022 memoir Slow Cooked: An Unexpected Life In Food Politics. Her research primarily focuses on Food Politics with an emphasis on the ways in which food choice, food safety, and public health are impacted by both scientific and socioeconomic influences.

    Chloe Aftel has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed & Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and more. Aftel has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on COVID 19's impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in COVID wards of the West Coast’s hardest-hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Aftel's first book, Outside & In Between, is an award-winning anthology covering gender non-conforming people across the United States.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-other-pod-with-chloe-aftel--6567483/support.
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    3 min
  • Episode 33 — Marion Nestle on the Intersection of Food Politics, Industry, and the Health Crisis it Creates

    Episode 33 — Marion Nestle on the Intersection of Food Politics, Industry, and the Health Crisis it Creates
    Nov 1 2025
    Renowned American molecular biologist, nutritionist and health advocate Marion Nestle joins host Chloe Aftel to discuss the ways that politics, industry, and food production have created the health crisis and distrust in science that now dominates our news cycles. Throughout the years, Nestle has written countless articles on these topics and has won a number of awards for her writing, including The American Public Health Association’s Food and Nutrition Section Award for Excellence in Dietary Guidance, The James Beard Literary Award, and a Harry Chapin Media Award for Best Book. They discuss Nestle’s education and career, as well as her body of work regarding her research into Food Politics and nutrition. Nestle’s research shines a light on how the intersection of socioeconomic and scientific influences impact food choice, public health, and food safety, emphasizing the role that marketing plays into these discussions.


    Highlights:
    • Nestle talks about her career in education and how many advances in health have taken place over the course of her lifetime, as well as ways the general public's view on health and food has shifted over the years
    • Nestle brings informed focus to how our culture’s current food system is designed to prioritize profit over public health, leading to food insecurity and a reliance on food that has been heavily processed
    • How to trust science when there are active efforts from the current U.S. administration to erase and delegitimize scientific findings from previous decades
    • Aftel and Nestle additionally discuss how to get involved and the importance of advocacy plus being a part of local politics


    Biographies:

    Marion Nestle is an award winning author, molecular biologist, and health advocate. She received her Bachelors in bacteriology from UC Berkeley in 1959, as well as a Ph.D. in molecular biology and a MPH in public health nutrition. She went on to teach at NYU, where in 1996 she co founded the university’s Food Studies program in collaboration with food consultant Clark Wolf, paving the way for other universities to introduce food science programs into their curriculum. In 2013 she received the Healthful Food Council’s Innovator of the Year Award and the James Beard Leadership Award, as well as the Public Health Association of New York City’s Media Award the following year. She has written and received critical acclaim for several of her books, including Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health, Why Calories Count: From Science to Politics, and her 2022 memoir Slow Cooked: An Unexpected Life In Food Politics. Her research primarily focuses on Food Politics with an emphasis on the ways in which food choice, food safety, and public health are impacted by both scientific and socioeconomic influences.

    Chloe Aftel has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed & Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and more. Aftel has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on COVID 19's impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in COVID wards of the West Coast’s hardest-hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Aftel's first book, Outside & In Between, is an award-winning anthology covering gender non-conforming people across the United States.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-other-pod-with-chloe-aftel--6567483/support.
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    58 min
  • NYU Professor Cristina Beltrán Takes on the Lightning Round!

    NYU Professor Cristina Beltrán Takes on the Lightning Round!
    Oct 15 2025
    Welcome to our 'Lightning Round' with Other podcast guest and political theorist Cristina Beltrán! The idea is to ask questions that she — and hopefully you — don't expect, and that the answers will be as equally interesting and hopefully amusing. Please enjoy.


    Biographies:

    Cristina Beltrán, Ph.D., is a NYU Associate Professor and award-winning author as well as political theorist. Born to parents of Mexican descent, Beltrán grew up in Southern California and New Mexico, obtaining a Doctorate in Political Science from Rutgers University and B.A. in Politics from University of California at Santa Cruz. Select titles include her 2020 book, Cruelty as Citizenship and the upcoming Latinos and Other Uncertainties. Her books have won awards from the American Political Science Association and the Casa de Las Americas Literary Prize for the Best Book in Studies of Latinos in the United States.

    Chloe Aftel has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed & Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and more. Aftel has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on COVID 19's impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in COVID wards of the West Coast’s hardest-hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Aftel's first book, Outside & In Between, is an award-winning anthology covering gender non-conforming people across the United States.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-other-pod-with-chloe-aftel--6567483/support.
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    10 min
  • Episode 32 — Dr. Cristina Beltrán Talks Latinx Politics, Charlie Kirk's Murder, and Building Anti-Supremacist Futures in Modern-Day America

    Episode 32 — Dr. Cristina Beltrán Talks Latinx Politics, Charlie Kirk's Murder, and Building Anti-Supremacist Futures in Modern-Day America
    Oct 1 2025
    Author and Associate Professor at New York University working in Latinx, race and gender, plus political theory, Dr. Cristina Beltrán joins host Chloe Aftel for a fascinating dive into modern America. Speaking on her upbringing, academic theories, and U.S. politics spanning the last forty years, Professor Beltrán breaks down myriad political/social concepts found within politics and, more broadly, the fabric of America. From the idea of layered colonialisms to Ezra Klein's The New York Times opinion piece on Charlie Kirk's murder, Beltrán and Aftel pick apart organizing tactics on the left and right, the politics of persuasion, and so-called logics of elimination. Find out what all of these topics entail and more in this new Other episode!


    Highlights:
    • Beltrán breaks down how the Latinx identity does not denote a specific race
    • Implications and explanations of a modern-day zero-sum scarcity logic within the current U.S. landscape
    • Aftel and Beltrán speak at length regarding Charlie Kirk's murder and immediate aftermath, from public reaction to media coverage of the incident
    • Ongoing struggles of 'the logics of elimination' and what that means
    • Discussion of and thinking seriously about alienating certain groups of people versus creation a broad anti-fascist opposition
    • The right's policing of America's story and how the left needs to reframe their own narrative, too
    • What are 'politics of persuasion' and how do we envision new and creative strategies around organizing the masses


    Biographies:

    Cristina Beltrán, Ph.D., is a NYU Associate Professor and award-winning author as well as political theorist. Born to parents of Mexican descent, Beltrán grew up in Southern California and New Mexico, obtaining a Doctorate in Political Science from Rutgers University and B.A. in Politics from University of California at Santa Cruz. Select titles include her 2020 book, Cruelty as Citizenship and the upcoming Latinos and Other Uncertainties. Her books have won awards from the American Political Science Association and the Casa de Las Americas Literary Prize for the Best Book in Studies of Latinos in the United States.

    Chloe Aftel has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed & Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and more. Aftel has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on COVID 19's impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in COVID wards of the West Coast’s hardest-hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Aftel's first book, Outside & In Between, is an award-winning anthology covering gender non-conforming people across the United States.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-other-pod-with-chloe-aftel--6567483/support.
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    1 ora e 49 min
  • The New York Times Columnist Jamelle Bouie Takes on the Lightning Round!

    The New York Times Columnist Jamelle Bouie Takes on the Lightning Round!
    Sep 15 2025
    Welcome to our 'Lightning Round' with Other podcast guest and writer Jamelle Bouie! The idea is to ask questions that he — and hopefully you — don't expect, and that the answers will be as equally interesting and hopefully amusing. Please enjoy.


    Biographies:

    Jamelle Bouie is a writer, photographer, and columnist for The New York Times. Obtaining degrees in political plus social thought and government from the University of Virginia in 2009, Bouie started out at The American Prospect magazine. Also writing for The Daily Beast early in his career, Bouie became Slate magazine's chief political correspondent in 2014 before working with the Times starting in 2019. An accomplished writer and photographer, Jamelle Bouie received 2021's Hillman Prize for Opinion & Analysis Journalism followed by an election into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2024. You can find his work on Instagram and TikTok, his blog, plus as co host of Unclear and Present Danger, a podcast exploring 90s thrillers from a post-Cold War perspective.

    Chloe Aftel has spent her career working in commercial photography, photojournalism, and film. She’s an established name in modern photography with work featured in The New York Times, Mother Jones, Playboy, Dazed & Confused, Vogue Germany, The Hollywood Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, and more. Aftel has photographed victims of sexual violence, reported on COVID 19's impact on the trans community, and gained access as the first reporter in COVID wards of the West Coast’s hardest-hit hospitals. She has covered underground abortion providers, the impact of gender pronouns on daily life, and clergy abuse. Aftel's first book, Outside & In Between, is an award-winning anthology covering gender non-conforming people across the United States.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-other-pod-with-chloe-aftel--6567483/support.
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    11 min