How to cite a movie in APA Style
To cite a movie in APA Style, list its director(s) in the author position and the production company as publisher. The title is written in sentence case and italicized, followed by the label “Film” in square brackets.
The in-text citation includes the last name of the director, and the year. If you are referring to a specific quote or scene from the movie, add a timestamp to direct the reader to the relevant part.
| Format | Last name, Initials. (Director). (Year). Movie title [Film]. Production Company. |
|---|---|
| Reference entry | Scott, R. (Director). (1979). Alien [Film]. Brandywine Productions. |
| In-text citation | (Scott, 1979, 0:45:14) |
The citation format for TV shows is slightly different.
Citing movies in different formats
In general, you don’t need to specify the format in which you watched the film. However, if you are discussing a specific version of the film (for example, if you refer to the special features of a DVD), you can specify the version in the citation.
Where to find source information for a movie citation
The source information you need for your citation can usually be found in the movie’s end credits or on the packaging for a physical release. Otherwise, you can check on IMDb.
Information on the production company can be found further down this page, under the heading “Company Credits.”
2 comments
Dani Elliot
December 8, 2020 at 8:17 AMWhat if there are multiple production companies?
Shona McCombes (Scribbr-team)
December 10, 2020 at 7:49 PMHi Dani,
In this case, list all the companies separated by semicolons. For example: Chase Films; Brad Grey Television; HBO Entertainment.
Hope that helps!