(Photo courtesy of Phoenix Film Festival)

The 17th Phoenix Film Festival.

The 17th Phoenix Film Festival gets underway Thursday night, with a screening of the movie "The Hero," starring Sam Elliott, Nick Offerman and Laura Prepon.

Over the next week, the theaters at Harkins Scottsdale 101 will host a variety of films, parties, seminars and other events.

Jason Carney is the Phoenix Film Festival’s executive director. Carney has been with the group from the beginning, starting out as a volunteer.

How has the festival evolve over the almost two decades it’s been around?