Opportunity knocks for local actor

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This article was published 14/03/2019 (2591 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nazariy Demkowicz is adjusting well to life among the stars.

The 21-year-old actor from East Kildonan is up for two Young Entertainer Awards, which will be presented on April 7 at the Steven J. Ross Theater at Warner Brothers Studio in Hollywood, Calif. 

“Receiving a nomination is kind of like hearing you booked a part,” Demkowicz, a film and science student at the University of Manitoba, said. “I’m super honoured and very excited for it. It’s thrilling.”

This year Demkowicz, who won the award for best guest star in a television series at the 2016 Young Entertainer Awards for his role in The Pinkertons, is nominated for best supporting actor in an independent or film festival feature film for his role in Siberia, and for best guest star in a television series for a role in SyFy’s Channel Zero.

Each of the roles was an entirely different experience for Demkowicz. In Siberia, Demkowicz plays the youngest of three brothers in a small Russian town who become involved with an international diamond smuggler, played by Keanu Reeves.

“When I heard I got the part, I could not believe it,” Demkowicz recalled. “To be in that type of film, the cast became such a family.”

Working with a superstar like Reeves was a humbling experience for Demkowicz, who graduated from Kildonan East Collegiate in 2015.

“He made you feel very comfortable,” he recalled. “You weren’t anxious or nervous to be around someone of that calibre.”

His part in Channel Zero was Demkowicz’s first time acting in the horror genre.

“I had a blast taking on this character,” he said. “It was something different that I hadn’t done before. I had to dig a little.”

The quality of the writing on the show and the attention to detail in that went into the special effects made an impression on the young actor. As a film student at the U of M, the opportunity he’s had to learn while on the job is not lost on Demkowicz.

“It’s cool to see how these things all fit together,” he said. “The people I’ve worked with here in Winnipeg are so generous. They care about the growth of the community here.”

Demkowicz is pleased to see the growth in the local film industry, and the expansion of the film tax credit program.

“It’s amazing to know that people have confidence in the film industry in Manitoba,” he said. “Hopefully there will be more things coming to central Canada.”

And while he is currently focused on completing his education, Demkowicz admitted he is always looking for his next opportunity.

“Right now, I’m just going with the flow,” he said. “Whatever comes, I always appreciate working. Being on set, it’s always a blast.”

Sheldon Birnie
Community Journalist

Sheldon Birnie is a reporter/photographer for the Free Press Community Review. The author of Missing Like Teeth: An Oral History of Winnipeg Underground Rock (1990-2001), his writing has appeared in journals and online platforms across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. A husband and father of two young children, Sheldon enjoys playing guitar and rec hockey when he can find the time. Email him at sheldon.birnie@freepress.mb.ca Call him at 204-697-7112

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