How to Cite a Film in Harvard

Films are cited by director (APA and Chicago) or by title (MLA and Harvard). This page follows Harvard (Cite Them Right), Cite Them Right, 12th edition.

Harvard format for a film

Harvard (Cite Them Right)

Reference list entry

Inception (2010). Warner Bros. Pictures.

In-text citation

(Inception, 2010, 1:12:05)

Style: Harvard (Cite Them Right)

Or enter it yourself:

Check the details

4 required fields are empty: the citation will be incomplete until you fill them in.

Director (required)

Missing: most styles need this.

Release year (required)

Missing: most styles need this.

Missing: most styles need this.

Missing: most styles need this.

Cite a specific place (optional)

Need the exact moment and wording? Get the full transcript with timestamps, then search it for the quote.

Preview: Harvard (Cite Them Right)

Reference list (0)

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    Where to find the details

    • The production company is in the opening or closing credits.

    Required in most styles: director, release year, film title, production company.

    Find the exact quote and timestamp

    Scrubbing through a recording for one sentence is slow. Get the full transcript with timestamps, search it, and paste the line and time into the generator.

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    Cite a film in another style

    Other sources

    Questions

    What do I need to cite a film in Harvard?

    At minimum: director, release year, film title, production company. The production company is in the opening or closing credits.

    What does a film look like in Harvard?

    Reference list entry: Inception (2010). Warner Bros. Pictures. In-text citation: (Inception, 2010, 1:12:05)

    How do I cite a specific moment?

    Give the timestamp where the quote or point begins, in hours, minutes and seconds (for example 1:04:15). APA and Harvard put it in the in-text citation; MLA and Chicago put it after the title or in the note. Enter it in the pinpoint box and the generator places it correctly.

    Is this free?

    Yes. No account and no limit. Your bibliography is saved in this browser only, and you can export it to Word, BibTeX, RIS or CSL-JSON.

    Citations are formatted by citeproc-js by Frank Bennett (CPAL-1.0, or AGPL-1.0), the engine behind Zotero and Mendeley, running the official Citation Style Language styles (10,863 styles, commit 2e93558) and locales (commit a89adec), used under CC BY-SA 3.0. AGLC4 citations use the LexIntellect AGLC4 engine, checked against the Guide's worked examples. Always check a citation against the manual or your institution's guide before you submit.