Although it isn’t common to cite movies in an APA style research paper, there are times when you may need to do so. For example, movies about people who suffer from depression or anxiety may help your psychology school research paper. Another common theme is overcoming difficulties within the education system for people with disabilities. Using these types of resources adds a personal touch to your paper. Formatting APA movie citations follows the motion picture citation format.
Basic Citation Format
The basic format for citing a movie in APA format is as follows:
Producer, A.A. (Producer), & Director, B.B. (Director). (Year). Title of motion picture [Motion picture]. Country of Origin: Studio.
Examples
Tannenbaum, J. (Producer), & Lerner, C. (Director). (1964). Black like me [Motion picture]. United States: Hilltop Company.
Talbot, J. (Producer, director). (2019). The last black man in San Francisco. United States: Plan B Entertainment & Longshot Features.
Bratt, P. (Director), & Benson, B. (Producer). (2017). Dolores. United States: 5 Stick Films.
Albert, T. (Producer), & Wang, W. (Director). (2005). Because of Winn-Dixie [Motion picture]. United States: 20th Century Fox.
DVD/Blu-ray Format
If you viewed the movie you are referencing in DVD or Blu-ray format, you should indicate as such in your citation:
Producer, A.A. (Producer), & Director, B.B. (Director). (Year). Title of dvd [DVD]. Country of Origin: Studio. DVD Distributor.
Example
Gimbel, R. (Producer), & Korty, J. (Director). (1974). The autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. [DVD]. United States: Tomorrow Entertainment: NBC Universal Television Distribution.
Streaming Movies
As many movies and other video content are now streamed online, it’s important to know how to cite these sources correctly too. To do so, you should include the URL where the video can be found. Do not place a period after the URL.
User Name. (Date). Title of video [Video file]. Retrieved from URL
Use Available from for DVDs if they can be purchased from online source.
Examples
Grjngo. (2019, Nov 12). Quintana: Dead or alive. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtube/8b07uR8AClI
Williams, R.R. (Director). (2016). Life animated. [Video file]. Available from https://www.lifeanimateddoc.com/
From Media Subscription
If the movie is from a media subscription, the format for the citation is very similar to other streaming movies.
Producer, A.A. (Producer). (Year). Title of video [Streaming video]. Retrieved from http://www.xxxxxxxx
Examples
Olivares, G. (Director). (2017). The lighthouse of the orcas (El faro de las orcas). [Streaming video]. Retrieved from https://www.netflix.com/title/80105690
Luna, D. (Director). (2014). Cesar Chavez. [Streaming video]. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Cesar-Chavez-Michael-Pe%C3%B1a/
In-Text Citation
To cite in-text or parenthetically, use the director’s name and year released within parentheses. Remember that every in-text citation should correspond to an entry in the references list.
Examples
(Tannenbaum, 1974)
(Luna, 2014)