El Nuevo Herald, March 28, 2002 (in Spanish)

La Opinion, February 23, 2002

Los Angeles Times, July 17, 2001

Speak Up Magazine, November, 2000

Absolute Write, October 27, 2000

The Hollywood Reporter, July 10, 2000

Aqua Vie Press Release, June 22, 2000

Mundo L.A., September 30, 1999 (Translated from Spanish)

Screenland International, July 2-8, 1999

The Hollywood Chronicle, Summer 1999

Orange County Register, June 4, 1999 (Spanish Language Edition)

FESTIVAL DE CINE LATINO by Charles Cotayo, El Nuevo Herald, March 28, 2002

Pablo es un inmigrante ilegal hondureño que en su tierra natal fue un profesor de literatura inglesa. Después de perder trágicamente a su mujer y su casa durante el huracán Mitch, decide buscar nuevos horizontes, o lo que clásicamente se llama el American Dream.

En Estados Unidos su vida se convierte en una pesadilla cuando accidentalmente atropella con su vehículo a una niña norteamericana. Su fuga por las calles de Los Angeles se convierte en el tema de un documental que una muchacha filma, a la misma vez que él y su hija pequeña son perseguidos por la policía.

El filme, hablado en inglés, es impactante en su exploración de los dolorosos desafíos que sufren tantas personas en busca de una mejor vida.También es una prueba absoluta de que no se necesita un presupuesto multimillonario o un elenco de superestrellas para lograr una excelente y emotiva película.

Con los ingredientes esenciales de una cinta bien escrita y dirigida: actuaciones maravillosas, una buena dosis de suspenso y, sobre todo, compasión humana. No tiene una nota falsa.

UN ARTISTA QUE NO VUELVE ATRAS by Isis Sauceda, La Opinion, February 23, 2002

Jesús Nebot presenta este fin de semana 'No Turning Back', una historia sobre el amor de un inmigrante indocumentado hacia su pequeña hija.

Al perder a su esposa en la devastadora tragedia provocada por el huracán Mitch en Honduras, Pablo decidió buscar nuevos horizontes.

Con su hija de la mano, su mirada apuntó hacia el norte. Con mucha suerte logró cruzar la frontera y pisar suelo americano. Su sueño de brindar una mejor vida a su pequeña Cristina poco a poco se fue convirtiendo en realidad. Sin embargo, Pablo olvidó que el mañana es incierto, que las cosas pueden cambiar de un momento a otro y nunca esperó lo que el futuro le tenía deparado.

Así comienza el filme No Turning Back, de Jesús Nebot, la historia del amor de un padre hacia su hija.

Basada en hechos reales, la cinta relata la experiencia de un inmigrante indocumentado en Estados Unidos que se ve forzado a evadir a las autoridades para proteger a su niña de 6 años de un futuro inseguro.

Muchos pensarían que éste es un cuento que nadie quiere ver. De hecho, Hollywood lo hizo. La Meca del Cine vio el proyecto como una locura, pero el productor, actor y cineasta español no desistió. Nebot se arriesgó a llevar la historia a la pantalla grande.

"Cuando fui a Hollywood a buscar dinero para esta película me dijeron: 'Estás loco si crees que la gente va a ir a ver la historia de un inmigrante indocumentado que tiene tantos problemas'", recuerda desilusionado. "Pero es importante hacer películas que tengan algo que decir, que den voz a gente que normalmente no la tiene, películas que inspiren a los demás, que toquen el corazón de la gente".

Por eso, el joven de mirada firme tenía que arriesgarse para no dejar muda la voz de Pablo, el protagonista de la historia. Su meta es que la cinta despierte el sentimiento humano de la gente y que contribuya a crear un mejor lugar donde vivir.

No Turning Back se presenta este fin de semana ante críticos (y posibles distribuidores) durante el festival del Mercado Cinematográfico Americano (AFM). El largometraje lleva ventaja, ha ganado varios premios alrededor del país, incluyendo el de Mejor Película en el San Antonio Cinefestival de Texas, con lo que ha demostrado que aunque Hollywood rechazó el proyecto, la historia quiere ser vista.

Sin representación

"El mundo del entretenimiento es muy complicado. Los latinos no estamos representados. Pero no hay que presentarnos como víctimas. No podemos esperar que Hollywood venga y diga: 'Vamos a hacer historias latinas'".

"Hollywood no está a favor de la Acción Afirmativa. Su objetivo es ganar dinero. [Pero] Hollywood es necesario porque abre las puertas a nivel mundial", comenta con tono frustrado el hombre de 32 años que de chico sentía el deseo de ser misionero.

Desde pequeño, Nebot estuvo dispuesto a ayudar al prójimo. Peleaba con sus padres por cuestiones políticas, porque debían ayudar a los demás, porque debían cambiar el mundo. Luego, según él, encontró la mejor manera de hacerlo. Se dio cuenta que podría expresar sus deseos y sentimientos artísticamente. Así decidió convertirse en actor.

"Ser actor no es tan frívolo como pensaba. Uno puede cumplir con una labor social y ser un reflejo de los demás, de lo que pasa en el mundo", manifiesta.

Precisamente, ése ha sido su deseo desde sus inicios. Está avanzando paso a pasito hasta su meta, pero no es un desconocido. En la pantalla chica participó en las series La loba herida y Divina obsesión, que se vendieron en 27 países. Ha realizado ocho obras de teatro, incluyendo Bodas de sangre, de Federico García Lorca, y El mercader de Venecia, de Shakespeare.

Desde que llegó a Los Angeles --hace cuatro años-- no ha parado de trabajar. Participó en NYPD Blue, The Sentinel, Angel From the Sky y Final Voyage, entre otros proyectos; aunque reconoce que ninguno es más importante que No Turning Back.

A Nebot, quien antes sólo era reconocido como actor, este filme le brinda el respeto de la industria como productor y cineasta, reconocimiento que está dispuesto a aprovechar.

"Desde ahora soy director y productor. Se me da un grado de respeto como profesional en el medio que antes no tenía. Ahora es mi obligación utilizar mi talento para contar historias que tienen que ser contadas. Tengo el compromiso de dar voz a aquellos que no son tan privilegiados".

Ese compromiso no es sólo un decir. Nebot actualmente trabaja en su segunda cinta sobre la conquista de México, mostrando otra cara de la historia: el indígena que termina enriqueciendo al ibérico.

No Turning Back se presenta gratuitamente hoy y mañana a las 11:00 a.m. en el teatro Mann Criterion, 1313 Third Street Promenade, en Santa Mónica. Información: (310) 478-0770.

ANGEL WITH THE KEY by Maria Elena Fernandez, Los Angeles Times, July 17, 2001

Jesus Nebot's encounter with a woman with a video camera and a mission led to his on-the-run film "No Turning Back."

The angel, as he has now come to call her, appeared to Jesus Nebot right after a workout as he was walking to his car outside a health club in Santa Monica. She had no halo or shiny aura around her. Instead she was carrying a mini digital video camera.
She had a mission, as angels do: to show the actor and founder of Zokalo Innovative Entertainment footage she had taped for 10 days while on the run from the Tijuana border to Los Angeles with a troubled father and daughter.
"I'm a little adventurous, I have to admit. I want to make sure I don't miss opportunities. So I told her I'd take a look," said Nebot, who launched Zokalo, a Santa Monica-based independent production company, in 1999. "What she said really caught my attention. ... But I had to guarantee that she would be protected because she could be charged with breaking the law."

Nebot and his angel met three times in his Santa Monica office; he never knew her real name (she called herself Soid) or where she lived. She told Nebot that she fell in love with the camera as a teenage runaway when a documentarian filmed her for his story about Hollywood street kids. She had found Zokalo while surfing on the Internet for production companies. After showing Nebot the tapes and relaying the heart-wrenching events, she vanished, leaving the aspiring director and producer with the kernel for his first project: "No Turning Back."

"I knew very quickly that this was a story I wanted to tell," Nebot said. "We immediately started working on the script and looking for financing. This journalist, Soid, told me what she knew, but I didn't concern myself too much with proving every element of the story. The movie is based on actual events, but it's a contemporary story that I think most people can relate to."

"No Turning Back," an English-language movie, won the Best Audience Award last month in the Malaga Film Festival, Spain's most prestigious national competition. It will be featured at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, which starts Friday. "No Turning Back" will be shown next Thursday. Nebot, who co-wrote, co-directed and produced the movie, also plays the protagonist, a Honduran English literature professor who migrates illegally to Southern California with his 6-year-old daughter after his wife is killed in Hurricane Mitch. Months after beginning their new life, Pablo, the father, accidentally kills a girl with his car and flees, refusing to abandon his own daughter.

The movie is based on real events that Soid relayed to Nebot and follows the father and daughter as they try to make it to Canada with the help of a mysterious amateur documentarian named Soid, who convinces Pablo that videotaping them will help detract attention from them. The story ends unpredictably for both the father and the daughter.

"For Jesus to pull this movie together against all odds and to showcase a story that shows a different image of immigrants that is not the usual Hollywood image is something I admire a lot," said Marlene Dermer, executive director and co-founder of the Los Angeles Latino film festival.

The story of the conflicted father who is ruled by his love for his daughter touched Nebot's sense of compassion and matched the message of tolerance he wants to promote with his company and films. Nebot, who moved to Los Angeles five years ago after a successful acting career in Spain and Latin America, says he turned to production to broaden his skills and marketability. He has guest-starred on such series as "NYPD Blue" and "The Sentinel" and has had roles in several films.

"I'm blessed that I've always had work and never had to do anything else," Nebot said. "But I'm also quite happy that my career didn't take off immediately like I expected. I expected to be the next Antonio Banderas. But this motivated me to push myself and write, produce and direct."

Through Zokalo, Nebot hopes to tell character-driven stories about Latinos that Hollywood would not ordinarily embrace or portray. The film was co-produced by Cartel, a Spanish production company, and co-written and co-directed by Julia Montejo, a screenwriter who has developed scripts and worked on television series in Spain and Venezuela.

As Nebot sought financing for "No Turning Back," he was repeatedly nagged with the same question: How do you expect an audience to sympathize with a protagonist who had killed a child and run away?

"My belief is that we're all good in our essence," Nebot said. "It's very easy for us to jump into judgment and call him a criminal. He has no credibility because he's illegal. But for this guy, facing the consequences could mean losing his daughter. In the media here, we always have good people and bad people ... but I don't see it that way. Sometimes people make poor decisions based on their circumstances. It's not about condoning people and their actions. It's about having a greater understanding."

It is an attitude Nebot developed as a child in Santander, Spain, when he dreamed of becoming a missionary. Later, he wanted to become a diplomat but refused to join the military for a year, as the government required. Instead, Nebot discovered acting.
After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and performing in Madrid, Nebot moved to Venezuela, where he starred in two popular telenovelas, "La Loba Herida" and "Divina Obsesion." In 1995, he moved to New York City to study acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre. "Acting is my first love," Nebot said. "But this movie has empowered me so much and it has changed my life. Independent films are usually about the gritty, the edgy and lots of camera tricks. My film pushes the limits
Actress Susan Haskell, who won an Emmy for her work on ABC's "One Life to Live," plays the mother whose daughter is killed.

"The whole story just really draws you in," Haskell said. "It was refreshing and something I didn't expect at all. It just made me cry." The movie was shot in three weeks in 22 locations for less than $1 million.

Although he enjoyed the triple challenge, Nebot has concluded that it's "crazy" to simultaneously play the lead role, direct and produce, because one job was always sacrificed for another.

"He likes to take control of everything and know what's going on everywhere," says Chris Sablan, the movie's associate producer and director of development for Zokalo. "One of his main concerns was that the extras ate at the same time as the other actors. He's that type of guy. He will listen to anything anybody has to say, and he takes it into account when making decisions."

Jon Mercedes, a film production consultant who began his career in Hollywood in 1968 and guided Nebot during the production process, called Nebot a pioneer in Latino storytelling and filmmaking.

"We haven't heard those stories and we haven't seen them, but they're universal," Mercedes said. "People have a lot of prejudice toward people of other cultures, but there's no difference in how we live as human beings."
Accepting the humanity in others is the lesson Nebot hopes his audience derives from his first film.

"What I want most is for my films to have social relevance," he said. "This story came to me almost like a miracle. She was like an angel who had a message, and I embraced it. I really felt for Pablo and his love for his daughter. The only way to help people heal is to love, forgive them and understand them. That is what I want my filmmaking to be about."

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS? by Alexandria Abramian, Speak Up Magazine, November, 2000

Abrirse camino en Hollywood no es tarea facil pero ello no es oblice para que actores y actrices espanoles esten alli a la espera de una oportunidad. Antonio Banderas lo consiguio y otros, como Jesus Nebot o Laura Bayonas, van por buen camino.

Breaking into Hollywood is not easy but it doesn't stop Spanish actors and actrices from waiting over there for an opportunity. Antonia Banderas has made it and others are well on their way, such as Jesus Nebot and Laura Bayonas.

In only three years in Los Angele, Jesus Nebot has starred in countless television shows, films, commercials, and plays. These days, Nebot has added his own independent production company to an already enviable resume, with offices in the upscale Santa Monica Mountains.

After a promising start in Venezuelan soap operas, Nebot decided to try his luck in Hollywood. Soon he had an agent, was going to auditions, oftern appeared on television, and is now "turning down offers."

Cut! Reality check. While true, Nebot's story is more of a Hollywood fairy tale. For hundreds of other Spanish hopefuls, the transition to Hollywood is a difficult one; where big dreams are quickly tested in low paying jobs, fruitless auditions, and the logistical mightmare of obtaining work visas.

"Accent, accent, accent," laments Laura Bayonas, who comes from a long line of Spanish film actors and screen writers. "In the past, actors like Greta Garb could have an accent, but now it's different. The market is for Americans."

For Bayonas, leaving a lucrative film and television career behind in Madrid and coming to Los Angeles was like starting over. "It's difficult to break in here. You go to all these auditions and you try to find an agent and you feel like nothing. I couldn't even talk."

Her experience is echoed by countless other Spanish editors, directors, writers, and actors, who all come to Hollywood in the hopes of making it big. Even those with flourishing careers in Spain, like Inma Nunez, recount the same sensation of feeling like a nobody in Los Angeles. "When I got to LA I said, 'I'm going to be rich, I'm going to be famous, because I have so much experience'". But the TeleMadrid producer and second assistant director of Libertarias soon learned otherwise. "It was horrible. Coming here was the worst experience I everhad in my life. I couldn't get a job." For many, starting from zero means taking low paying jobs to make ends meet until the "big break" arrives. Carlos Mendez, an actor/producer, did eveything from flipping hamburgers to doing construction work in order to support himself while he went to acting auditions.

OPPURTUNITY

But why give up a successful career in order to sell hamburgers in Los Angeles? The answer is simple: Opportunity. As the world's birth place and leader of the film and television industry, there are more opportunities to work in film and television in Hollywood than anywhere else in the world.

But as many soon find, while the film industry may be huge, jobs in it are still very hard to find. "Opportuities are much better here," says Javier Carbo, who worked as a door to door salesman before he founded his own production company which made such films as "Things I Never Told You," by Spanish director, Isabel Coixet, "but it's a matter of quantity. There are so many people here, many of whom are willing to work for free to get experience, that it can be hard to find work."

Even so, the recent boom in the Latin television and film industry has sparked a new wealth of opportunity for Spanish actors, producers, writers and directors. Jesus Nebot attributes much of his success to the flourishing Latin Market: "I position myself as Latin in this country. I don't emphasize that I'm from Spain."

But some consider the Latin market a double edged sword; both an opportunity to work, but one one that cannot compare to American cinema and film. Bayonas, who works as the host of a Latin American morning talk show, says that "Latin TV is very poor compared to the American Market. It's old fashioned."

Some even specualte that their success in Hollywood could ultimately benefit the Spanish film industry. Javier Carbo represents commericial directors from Spain looking for work in the US and helps produce films by Spanish directors. Similarly, Nebot works with Spanish screenwriters in his new production company and hopes one day to return to Spain, although he admits, "In the long run, Los Angeles is the place for me to be."

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Interview with Jesus Nebot by Jenna Glatzer, Absolute Write, October 27, 2000 http://www.absolutewrite.com/screenwriting/jesus_nebot.htm

Jesus Nebot began his career as an actor in Spain. He is a renowned actor in Latin America and Spain, starring in the popular television series La Loba Herida and Divina Obsesion, distributed by Warner Brothers International in over 27 countries. He came to the United States to branch out his career, and started Zokalo Entertainment to produce films geared to the growing Latino audience in the U.S.

Tell us about your background in film and television.

I've been a working actor for almost 15 years. I'm a graduate of The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts of Madrid (Spain) and The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute of New York.

Why did you come to the United States?

After a successful career as an actor in Spain and Latin America I wanted to expand my professional horizons with new challenges and have the opportunity of working in projects that would reach a wider audience. That meant coming to the World Capital of Entertainment and improving my English in order to work in this language.

Did the fact that you starred in a very well-known Spanish TV series make it easy for you to make connections in Hollywood?

No. My prior career didn't help me much beyond allowing me to secure an agent. I had to prove myself again... from scratch, since this was a new and highly competitive market.

Why did you decide to get into directing and producing?

I wanted to have more creative control over my acting career and at the same time take to the big screen projects that, aside from being entertaining, were meaningful and had the potential of touching people's hearts. I believe that part of my responsibility as an actor and filmmaker is to make sure I'm contributing in making this planet a better place. Ultimately my fullfilment as a media artist comes from knowing that I am using all my talent to, at some extent, making a difference in other people's lives. That vision is the one that motivated me to become a producer, writer and director.

Where did you find the story for your directorial debut film, NO TURNING BACK?

NO TURNING BACK came to me in a magical way. A guerrilla journalist by the code name of SOID approached me to take to the screen a fascinating story that she had been covering with her mini-DV camera in the last ten days. Yet, she broke the law to do so and therefore, in order to protect her identity, we had to proceed with strict confidentiality. More information can be found on our web site www.noturningback.com.

What was special about this story for you?

Telling the story of the "underdog". Embracing the challenge of taking the audience into a journey where they could have sympathy for a guy who kills a child and runs away. I think it is important to awaken people's compassion for the so called "bad guys" of our society. Healing will never occur by demonizing them.

What did you learn about the filmmaking process while working on this film? Everything. Most importantly that filmmaking is a collaborative art and therefore, not only do you need a vision, but also the ability to communicate to your team that vision to get the best out of them. In other words, beyond talent, you also need leadership skills that will allow you to listen to people, appreciate their work and then guide them towards the desired outcome.

What were the most positive and negative aspects of making the film?

The most positive thing was giving birth to the film itself. There is nothing more fullfiling on a creative level. I can't see negative things, only a lot of challenges that have helped me to grow as producer and filmmaker.

What are your hopes for the film's future? I will be very happy if we can secure domestic theatrical distribution. In the meantime, my main goal is that this film is embraced by different audiences while playing in the film festival circuit.

What kinds of scripts are you looking for now? Contemporary character driven stories that are written from the heart. Great scripts that, beyond being entertaining, have something to say. I'm also open to documentaries.

Will you star in all of the films you produce and direct?

Not necessarily. I actually think doing those three things at once is kind of crazy.

Do you believe Hollywood is getting better at recognizing minorities and women?

I think Hollywood cares about making money, period. This is a "for profit" industry to them and affirmative action is not part of their agenda. They will care more about women and minorities when projects like mine prove to be successful at the box office.

What's something you wish you knew before you came to Hollywood?

The importance of "perception" in this town.

What is your dream role?

Roles with dimension. It could be a spiritual master in crisis or a psychopath who has an opportunity to reveal his humanity. Characters who are intriguing in essence and speak with their eyes more than with their mouths.

What are your plans for your future in the film business?

Establish Zokalo Entertainment in the market place as a company that can succeed producing low budget character driven films with a strong humanitarian component. Films that entertain and enlighten audiences worldwide.

Anything further you'd like to add?

Follow your heart.

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FILM SHORTS by Zorianna Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, July 10, 2000

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Aqua Vie Obtains West Coast Movie Placement, Engages International Trade Expert to Assist with Global Distribution, Aqua Vie Press Release, June 22, 2000

KETCHUM, Idaho, June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Thomas Gillespie, president and chief executive officer of Aqua Vie Beverage Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: AVBC - news), announced today that on the heels of the company's having reached agreements for product distribution in southern California, Aqua Vie Hydrators(TM) have been slated as a product placement to be featured in the Spanish Cinema production of No Turning Back, which is being shot in Los Angeles during June and July.

Aqua Vie Beverage Corporation develops and markets all natural, lightly flavored, still (non-carbonated) bottled spring water. The company's low-calorie alternative beverages are bacteria-free and contain no preservatives. Aqua Vie produces and markets the Hydrator(TM) line of beverages in the United States and Europe. This beverage line, comprised of seven low-calorie, all-natural beverages that are lightly flavored and packaged in half-liter bottles, is designed to increase one's personal consumption of water, naturally. The underlying technology also serves as the new delivery system for Aqua Vie's nutritionally fortified E Line(TM) -- Elixir(TM), Empower(TM), and Ecstasy(TM); its nutritionally specific line of Aquaceuticals(TM); and Aqua Vie's nonalcoholic wine and champagne beverages made from spring water. For further information about Aqua Vie Beverage Corporation, visit the company's web site at www.aquavie.com.

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"BODAS DE SANGRE" COMO LORCA SE LO DEBIO IMAGINAR por Gustavo E. Fernandez, Mundo L.A., September 30, 1999 (Translated from Spanish)

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ACTOR-PRODUCER JESUS NEBOT LAUNCHES INDIE PROD'N OUTFIT by Anne Marie de la Fuente, Screenland International, July 2-8, 1999

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SUPERSTAR, SPANISH SALSA STYLE by Tracey Alexander, The Hollywood Chronicle, Summer 1999

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HISPANOS Y MUJERES RECIBIRAN MAYOR PROYECCION EN EL CINE DE HOLLYWOOD por Miguel Suarez Orozco, Orange County Register, June 4, 1999 (Spanish Language Edition)

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