As a director, Barnaby Clay got his big break making music videos. His most famous videos are Rihanna’s ‘Word Love’ and Take That’s ‘Rule the World.’ Now, Clay has transposed his years of expertise into the creation of his narrative debut feature film, The Seeding.
Having debuted at TriBeCa in 2023, The Seeding has now made its way onto digital platforms in the UK. It screened as part of the Midnight strand of programming and certainly filled the quota for dark content for the festival. In The Seeding, a hiker (Scott Haze) lost in the desert takes refuge with a woman (Kate Lyn Sheil) living alone, and soon discovers that she might not be there willingly.
We at THN were big fans of The Seeding when we caught it at TriBeCa. Our review described The Seeding as presenting a microcosm of brutality, highlighting the futility of mankind in a frank and disturbing way. Due to some of the events and imagery within The Seeding, Clay’s debut is hard to shake. Even almost a year after our first viewing, we are occasionally transported back to the oppressive desert environment. It is stunning work that should be sought out by everyone who likes their movie content to challenge them.
After a successful festival run, The Seeding arrives on digital where it will hopefully attract a much wider audience and encourage debate about its somewhat taboo topics. Ahead of the release, THN were fortunate enough to be granted time to speak with Clay about the project. The discussion covered the genesis of the idea, the importance of the filming location, and how Clay hopes the viewer will take his debut.
The Seeding will be available to own or rent in the UK & Ireland from 12th February via Amazon, AppleTV, Google, Sky Store and Virgin Media Store.
Kat Hughes is a UK born film critic and interviewer who has a passion for horror films. An editor for THN, Kat is also a Rotten Tomatoes Approved Critic. She has bylines with Ghouls Magazine, Arrow Video, Film Stories, Certified Forgotten and FILMHOUNDS and has had essays published in home entertainment releases by Vinegar Syndrome and Second Sight. When not writing about horror, Kat hosts micro podcast Movies with Mummy along with her five-year-old daughter.