USF Grad Makes Directorial Debut

Kit Rich’s pathway to creative success wasn’t always straightforward — although there were early signs of potential. As a teenager, she kept a diary where she wrote dialogues and scenes. She didn’t know it at the time, but those early musings laid a foundation.  

Rich says that she didn’t feel truly recognized as a writer until she began taking Performing Arts & Social Justice classes at USF. Asked about what inspired her to become a filmmaker, Rich said, “Wholeheartedly, it was University of San Francisco.”

One class in particular gave her the boost she needed. “I was taking a class, and the way that I analyzed the plays, it was the first time a teacher really looked at me and said, ‘You know, you're really good at this.’”

She began writing plays shortly after graduation, but she says the number of nos and naysayers got the best of her. She decided that it was in her best interest to become a fitness trainer. 

As fate would have it, that career took off and occupied her attention for many years. But, she never really abandoned the idea of returning to the performing arts. That’s where her heart was. 

I got a lot of ‘nos,’ but the difference between the ‘nos’ in my early 20s and the ‘nos’ now was that I believed in myself enough to keep going.”

“So,” she said, “I started writing another play. And I quickly realized it wasn’t a play, but a film. Initially, my only intention was to sell it. It wouldn’t sell. I got a lot of ‘nos,’ but the difference between the ‘nos’ in my early 20s and the ‘nos’ now was that I believed in myself enough to keep going. I really wanted to know what it felt like to take something to the finish line.” 

She and her husband, Manuel Rafael Lozano (a lead actor in the film), created a production company together, Iris Tuesday Productions. With the help of their team, they set out to make the movie on their own. Rich says that she was turned down by a number of directors, which she understands, given that it was a low-budget film that required a lot of energy. Eventually, someone suggested that she direct herself. 

“It was basically like getting a master’s in filmmaking on the job, and it was one of the hardest things I have ever done,” she said.

Her debut feature film, Isabel’s Garden, an uplifting faith-based story about a family that she wrote, directed, and executive produced, has earned 10 awards and an additional 5 nominations from a variety of film festivals. It’s now streaming on Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime.

Rich says that lifelong principles that she carries with her — and reinforced at USF — like being good to your neighbor and working with a purpose for the greater good, have helped her throughout her convergent careers. 

“The fact that I was in the performing arts department at USF and it was also connected to social justice — that those things go hand-in-hand — has stayed with me. Whether people agree with me creatively or not, it's not up to me. But I know for a fact that this story will help those who need it.”

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