Ron Howard began his career as an actor, playing beloved television roles such as Opie on The Andy Griffith Show and Richie Cunningham on Happy Days before transitioning into film with American Graffiti (1973). After making his feature directorial debut with Grand Theft Auto in 1977, Howard shifted his focus to filmmaking and amassed a body of work that includes Splash (1984), Cocoon (1985), Apollo 13 (1995), and A Beautiful Mind (2001), which earned him the Oscar for Best Director. Howard joins us as part of our year-round Film Society Talks series, sponsored by HBO, to discuss his latest work, In the Heart of the Sea. In the winter of 1820, a New England whaling ship was assaulted by a whale of mammoth size and will, stranding its crew at sea for 90 days. The real-life disaster inspired Herman Melville’s landmark novel Moby-Dick, and In the Heart of the Sea reveals the encounter’s harrowing aftermath as the ship’s surviving crew is pushed to their limits to stay alive. Howard will discuss his career in front of and behind the camera, as well as the making of this new film, which stars Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Ben Whishaw, and Brendan Gleeson, and opens in theaters December 11. A Warner Bros. Pictures release.

Free tickets will be distributed at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center box office (144 West 65th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam) on a first-come, first-served basis starting one hour prior to the talks. Limit one ticket per person, subject to availability.