Marc Gouveia Says, Go Ahead, Make It a Buen Día
By Cady Sherman

When interested in becoming involved with the San Francisco Film Society, most people call the office to learn the details from the membership manager, Reva Parness. Marc Gouveia, however, chose a different approach. Two years ago, when he saw a dual Patron membership offered at a silent charity auction for the Buen Día School, Marc placed a bid and has been part of the Film Society ever since.

Located in the Mission District, the Buen Dia School holds an annual auction to benefit scholastic programs with insufficient funding. A friend of Marc’s organized the event and urged him to participate. Because he has always loved movies and the Film Society struck him as a new way to immerse himself in film, “ I decided to give the membership a shot,” says Marc. “The Buen Día School opened many doors and educated me tremendously,” he gratefully explains. Mark has since become more involved with both the school and the Film Society.

Marc is a financial payment operation analyst for the Treasury Department, a job that requires sophisticated financial analysis, though he modestly describes his profession as “handling money all day long and shuffling a lot of paper.” When not working he attends many cultural events in the city, including theater and ballet, though film is his primary passion.

Growing up in San Francisco, Marc has myriad memories of cinema in the city. Some of his most prized childhood recollections include weekly excursions to the movie theater. Every Saturday night he and his family would go out, typically frequenting single-movie houses such as the Avenue Theater, the Granada and the El Rey, all of which have since closed their doors. Though he was exposed to many great films, Spartacus remains his favorite childhood picture.

As a member of the Film Society, Marc has particularly enjoyed preview screenings; “I enjoy seeing movies before they are released,” he adds. “The Film Society enables me to see movies that I would not see on my own,” says Marc, “and the selections always receive good reviews.”

While he has taken advantage of numerous film screenings, Marc regrets that he did not see last summer’s outdoor showing of It Came From Beneath the Sea. He was especially disappointed because he had seen the campy science fiction film set in San Francisco at one of the local theaters as a youth and had looked forward to the opportunity to revisit his childhood.

Despite his long history in the city, Marc attended his first San Francisco International Film Festival last year. He loves romantic comedies and especially enjoyed Cherish, Me Without You and The Last Kiss. Proud to support two causes, Marc again purchased his membership at the Buen Dia School’s auction last May.