How to Cite a Film or Movie Using APA

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Aside from the mere fact that watching films or movies is a great way to relieve stress and relax with our family, films can also serves as references or sources at times for our academic papers or scholarly documents. Citing the references in APA format is not an easy task. There are a lot of rules to follow mandated by American psychological Association (APA) and this is the reason why this article was written.

As we all know, the most basic information that we could find in a film are the personnel, the title, the release date, type of the film, country of origin and the distributor.

Format:
Last Name, F. (Personnel Type). (Year of Release). Film Title [Type of Film]. Country of Origin: Distributor.

Film Citation Example:
Smith, J. (Director). (2009). BibMe: The movie [Motion picture]. United States: Columbia.

The writer should start his or her APA film citation by presenting any personnel significant to the movie or film you are citing. Be reminded that the individuals name must be reversed, with the last name or surname provided first then the comma. All given names and the middle names should be provided as initials, each followed by a period. In instances that a suffix like roman numerals I, II, III or if the person is a Jr./Sr., it must be presented after listing the individuals first and middle initials each ended by a period. Also, one must also be aware that it is very important to provide the persons title such as Director, Producer, Writer and etc. These titles must be provided after the name of the person and they must be inside parentheses, any appropriate punctuation should be placed outside of the parentheses.

In cases, that a film needs to have more than two personnel to cite, just use comma to separate the names, and utilize an ampersand just before the name of the last individual. If more than six personnel should be cited, abbreviate the seventh names and any others that follow with et al.

Example:
Jones, J. (Director), & Dae, J. (Producer). (2009). BibMe: The movie [Motion picture]. United States: Columbia.

Right after the names are jotted down, provide in parentheses the year when it was published. Period must be provided outside the parentheses. The title of the movie must be italicized.

Example:
Jones, J. (Director). (2013). BibMe: The real story [Documentary]. United States: Columbia.

To complete your film or movie APA citation, jot down the country of origin and the distributor of the movie as well. End the citation with a period. In case the movie is of limited circulation, instead end the citation with the text "Available from", followed by the name of the distributor and the full address of the distributor, in parentheses, along with a period outside the parentheses.

Film APA Citation Example:
Jones, J. (Director). (2009). BibMe: The movie [Motion picture]. (Available from Startup Films, 123 5th Ave, New York, NY 10001).