Portraits From Rural Wisconsin, a new documentary, premieres 8 p.m. Thursday, April 11,2019 on Wisconsin Public Television.

Journey through four seasons in western Wisconsin to discover personal portraits of rural residents and the increasing challenges they face. Hard-working neighbors still share the sentiment that “rural life is the best life,” even as they look for new solutions to continuing economic and cultural change. Featured in the documentary are residents from the communities of Pepin, Durand, Readstown, Gays Mills, Soldiers Grove, Seneca and Arcadia.

Produced in part with a 2017 Marquette University O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism received by the documentary’s filmmaker and WPT producer Andy Soth, the film presents a series of interwoven portraits depicting the hardships, change and hope of rural life.

Portraits From Rural Wisconsin will be available for free online viewing at wpt.org shortly before broadcast.

Portraits From Rural Wisconsin is funded in part by the Marquette University O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.

Wisconsin Public Television is a service of the Educational Communications Board and University of Wisconsin-Madison.

WPT is a place to grow through learning on WHA-TV, Madison; WPNE-TV, Green Bay; WHRM-TV, Wausau; WLEF-TV, Park Falls; WHLA-TV, La Crosse; and WHWC-TV, Menomonie-Eau Claire.