Touch Is The New Queer Web Series Of Your Dreams

If you spent any time over on TikTok during lockdown (ahem, all of us!), you'd likely be no stranger to The Formal, an Australian-created web series that explored the Year 12 formal from the lens of queer high schoolers. Created by queer filmmakers Monique Terry and Hannah-Rae Meegan, the online series quickly amassed a huge online following thanks to its authentic queer storytelling.

Now, the creative duo is back with another web series — TOUCH. Refinery29 Australia spoke with the local filmmakers about authentic representation, creating content for an online audience, and why the footy field is one of the best places to explore queer stories.

TOUCH follows the story of Cameron, who attempts to get revenge on her cheating ex-girlfriend by beating her in the local touch footy competition. But when Cameron catches feelings for new teammate Angie, she must keep her plan a secret to win the comp — and Angie’s love. 

I grew up playing touch football every single day of my life — I honestly lived and breathed it! The sport has really impacted my life in the best way, but I had no idea I was queer at the time. Being queer really wasn’t really a thing where I grew up, sadly. I think sporting stories speak to everyone and sport is such a part of our national identity, so we were excited to tell sports story with queerness at the centre. There’s usually a lot of queer coding in sports stories but no overtly queer characters or plot lines, which is wild! 

Everything we make comes from our own experience in a lot of ways, so the writing always comes from a place of truth. We also make an effort to employ as many queer crew members as possible from pre to post-production. Of course, we also cast authentically so that what you’re seeing on screen is truthful in all the ways it can be.

We’re lucky to already have an audience on TikTok after using the platform to post our previous series, The Formal. We wanted to give this audience a new, exciting show that had the same heart as the series they already loved. At the same time, we were excited to grow our audience on a new platform and naturally went for YouTube because it’s always been a place where queer people have sought — and found — web series that they connect with. 

The support that Screen Australia has given Han and me has been incredible. We’re super lucky that we live in a time where funding bodies are excited and dedicated to supporting queer stories. It obviously hasn’t always been like this so experiencing the overwhelming support makes us feel really grateful.