How to Cite a Movie in APA 7th Edition Format

Introduction — what this format is and who uses it

APA 7th Edition is the American Psychological Association’s standard for formatting papers and citing sources in the social and behavioral sciences. It establishes clear rules for in-text citations, reference-list entries, and audiovisual materials such as movies.

Students, researchers, instructors, and media analysts commonly use APA to document films in essays, literature reviews, and media studies. This guide explains how to cite a movie in APA 7th Edition with step-by-step examples you can apply immediately.

General Rules — key formatting rules

Author element: For films, credit the director(s) or producer(s) as the author element. Use the role in parentheses after the name (e.g., Spielberg, S. (Director).).
Year: Put the year of release in parentheses immediately after the author element.
Title: Italicize the title and use sentence case (capitalize only the first word and proper nouns).
Medium label: Include a bracketed label when relevant: [Film], [TV series episode], [Video], etc.
Source or producer: Add the production company. Include a URL only if the movie is available online and the link leads directly to the film.
In-text citations: Use the director’s last name and the year: (Scott, 1979). For specific scenes or quotes, add a timestamp: (Scott, 1979, 01:12:20).

How to Cite by Source Type — step-by-step

The examples below use code-style formatting for clarity. Replace the example details with the actual names, roles, year, and company for the movie you're citing.

1. Theatrical film (director as author)

Format: Author (Role). (Year). Title [Film]. Production Company.

Scott, R. (Director). (1979). Alien [Film]. 20th Century Fox.

Use this when citing a commercially released film. No URL is needed if you accessed it in theaters, on DVD/Blu-ray, or via subscription platforms not publicly available.

2. Film with producer as author (optional)

APA allows either director or producer as the author. If the producer is more relevant to your discussion, cite the producer instead.

Graham, P. (Producer). (2019). The Great Feature [Film]. Big Studio Productions.

3. Streaming film (publicly accessible)

If the streaming location is publicly accessible (e.g., a free platform), include the URL. If the film is behind a paywall (Netflix, Hulu), omit the URL and list the production company only.

Wright, T. (Director). (2018). Indie Documentary [Film]. Indie House. https://www.example.com/indiedoc

4. Short film or online video (YouTube)

For videos posted by a user or channel, use the uploader as the author and include the video format and URL.

Smith, J. [JSmithChannel]. (2020, May 5). Short experimental film [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxxxxxx

5. TV episode or streaming series episode

Cite an episode with the writer or director as author, and include episode title, season/episode number, series title, and producer or network.

Foley, A. (Writer). (2017). The turning point (Season 1, Episode 3) [TV series episode]. In M. Producer (Producer), The Example Series. Example Network.

6. Classic films with no date or unknown director

If the year or director is unknown, adapt APA’s missing information rules. Use n.d. for no date and begin the entry with the title if no author is known.

The haunted house [Film]. (n.d.). Old Studio.

In-Text Citations — rules and examples

In-text citations in APA 7th Edition are concise: author and year. For films, the author is usually the director or producer you listed in the reference.

Parenthetical citation: (Nolan, 2010).
Narrative citation: Nolan (2010) explores....
Direct quote or scene reference with timestamp: (Nolan, 2010, 00:23:45).

Examples:

Parenthetical: The film’s sound design creates tension (Carpenter, 1978).

Narrative: Carpenter (1978) uses silence and score to build suspense.

Quote/scene: The character’s turning point occurs mid-film (Carpenter, 1978, 00:57:30).

Reference List — formatting rules and example

Your reference list should begin on a new page, be double-spaced, and use a hanging indent (0.5 inches) for entries. Arrange entries alphabetically by the author element (director’s last name or title if no author).

Key formatting reminders:

Italicize film titles; use sentence case for titles.
Place the role in parentheses after the author’s name (e.g., (Director)).
Do not include timestamps in the reference list — timestamps belong only in in-text citations.
Include URLs only when they lead directly to the movie and are publicly accessible.

Sample reference-list entry (theatrical film):

Spielberg, S. (Director). (1993). Schindler's list [Film]. Universal Pictures.

Sample reference-list entry (streaming, publicly accessible):

Kim, S. (Director). (2021). Documentary on forests [Film]. Green Media. https://www.openstreaming.org/forestdoc

Common Mistakes — 3–4 errors to avoid

Using the wrong author element:
Don’t use the production company as the author unless no director or producer is given. Use the director or producer, e.g., Hitchcock, A. (Director).
Including URLs for paywalled content:
Avoid adding links to streaming services that require a subscription (Netflix, Hulu). Instead, list the production company and omit the URL.
Incorrect title formatting:
Film titles must be italicized and in sentence case. Do not use title case or quotation marks.
Forgetting timestamps for quoted scenes:
When quoting dialogue or pinpointing a scene, include a timestamp in the in-text citation. Omitting it makes it harder for readers to locate the excerpt.

Practical checklist — cite a movie in 60 seconds

Identify the author element (director or producer).
Confirm the year of release.
Write the title in sentence case and italicize it.
Add the medium label [Film] and the production company.
Include a URL only if the film is publicly accessible online.

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Extra tips

If you cite a film excerpt available on YouTube, cite the uploader and include the URL as shown in the examples above.
When multiple directors exist, list up to 20 authors in the reference list (APA 7th allows this); separate names with commas and use an ampersand before the last name.
Use timestamps for nonverbal content only when it’s necessary to direct readers to the precise moment.

Tools to speed your workflow

Alongside the citation generator, Rephrasely provides related tools that help with writing and verification. Use the AI writer to draft film analyses, the plagiarism checker to verify originality, and the AI detector if you need to check machine-generated text.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite a movie I watched on Netflix in APA 7th Edition?

List the director (or producer) as the author, the year, the title in italics with [Film], and the production company. Do not include the Netflix URL because the content is behind a paywall. Example: DuVernay, A. (Director). (2014). Selma [Film]. Paramount Pictures.

What if I want to quote dialogue from a movie — how do I cite it?

Include an in-text citation with the director’s last name, year, and a timestamp pointing to the quoted moment: (Anderson, 2011, 00:45:12). Provide the full film entry in the reference list without timestamps.

Can I use Rephrasely to generate APA movie citations?

Yes. Use Rephrasely’s free citation generator for instant APA 7th film citations. Pair it with the AI writer to draft your paper and the plagiarism checker to verify originality.

How to Cite a Movie in APA 7th Edition Format