MLA Movie Citations | Format & Examples
Whether you’re analyzing a film or quoting a famous movie line, movie citations can be very useful in MLA writing.
The MLA citation guidelines for movies work differently than MLA book citations or MLA journal article citations.
- MLA in-text citations for movies usually have the title and, in some cases, a timestamp.
- Works Cited entries for movies begin with a title and also include the director, distributor, year of release, and streaming app or URL (if applicable).
| In-text citation | Works Cited entry |
|---|---|
| During the final battle in the 2021 film version, Macbeth and Macduff are surrounded by fog that obscures the background (The Tragedy of Macbeth 01:37:40–01:39:45). |
The Tragedy of Macbeth. Directed by Joel Coen, Apple Original Films, 2021. Apple TV+ app.
|
MLA in-text citations for movies
In-text citations for movies have the film title, which is often part of the narrative of the sentence. If you’re referring to the film as a whole, you can omit locator information. If you’re paraphrasing or quoting a specific scene, include a timestamp in the in-text citations.
The format for a timestamp is hh:mm:ss. If you provide a time range, include an en dash or hyphen between the two timestamps. Abbreviate the second timestamp to include only the necessary details.
For example, the time range “01:15:00–30” means that the clip starts at the 1 hour and 15 minute mark and ends at the 1 hour, 15 minute, and 30 second mark. The time range “00:45:00–46:30” means that the clip starts at the 45 minute mark and ends at the 46 minute and 30 second mark.
| Film as a whole (no locator information) | Scene or quote (with timestamp) |
|---|---|
| The Last Waltz features performances from the most renowned musicians of the 1970s, who joined The Band for their iconic Thanksgiving Day farewell concert in 1976.
The film title is in the narrative of the sentence, so no parenthetical citation is needed. |
While walking down the road, the trio discovers a baptism ceremony at the edge of a pond (O Brother, Where Art Thou? 00:25:07-10).
The film title is included in parentheses rather than the narrative of the sentence. |
MLA Works Cited entries for films
MLA Works Cited entries for movies have the following elements:
Although Works Cited entries for other types of sources begin with authors, entries for films begin with the title in italics. Place a period after the title, and separate the remaining elements with commas. All Works Cited entries need a hanging indent (all lines after the first are indented ½ inch).
If you watched the film in a theater or on DVD, end the entry with the year. If you watched on a streaming service (e.g., Netflix) or online, end the entry with the streaming app or a URL.
Other contributors
Works Cited entries for films always include the director, but you can include other contributors (e.g., actors) if they’re important to your discussion. If one contributor’s work is central to your discussion, you can also begin the Works Cited entry with that person’s name.
Whichever format you choose, begin each in-text citation with the same information that begins the Works Cited entry. This strategy helps readers locate the full citation on your Works Cited page.
| Works Cited entries | In-text citations |
|---|---|
|
The Fall Guy. Directed by David Leitch, performances by Ryan Gosling and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, stunts by Logan Holladay, Ben Jenken, Justin Eaton, and Troy Brown, Universal Pictures, 2024. Peacock app.
|
The irony of The Fall Guy is that Gosling could not have successfully portrayed a stunt double without the outstanding work of four real-life stunt doubles, namely Holladay’s cannon rolls for the car chase scene (02:05:00–02:09:36).
This citation has a timestamp because the sentence refers to one scene. |
|
O Brother, Where Art Thou? Directed by Joel Coen, written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, music by T Bone Burnett, Touchstone Pictures, 2000.
|
Perhaps the most unique film interpretation of The Odyssey is O Brother, Where Art Thou?, set in the Depression-era South to a soundtrack of American roots music.
No timestamp is cited here because the sentence refers to the film as a whole. |
Versions
If you accessed a specific version of a movie, include the name of the version in the Works Cited entry, especially if that version has different content (e.g., an unrated version or director’s cut). Another option is to add the original release year after the title.
Online movies
If you accessed a full-length film from a website (e.g., archive.org), the Works Cited entry should end with the site name, uploader, upload date, and URL.
Frequently asked questions about MLA movie citations
- How do you write time in MLA format?
-
Write time in MLA format to create a time stamp for in-text citations of audio and video sources (e.g, a movie or a song). The format is hh:mm:ss (hour:minute:second) with a colon between each element.
MLA time stamp example The video tour of the actress’s new home includes a close-up shot of a brass door knocker in the shape of a lion’s head (“Inside SNL Star” 00:01:47-49).This in-text citation has an abbreviated title of the video (because there’s no author) and a timestamp, which directs readers to the 1 minute and 47 seconds spot of the video.
QuillBot’s free Citation Generator can help you create time stamps and use MLA date format in Works Cited entries.
- How do you write movie titles in MLA?
-
When you write movie titles in MLA, use italics, and capitalize all of the main words, which include nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and subordinating conjunctions.
Minor words, such as prepositions (e.g., “behind” or “with”) and coordinating conjunctions (e.g., “and” or “but”) should not be capitalized unless they’re the first or last word of the title or the first word after a colon.
Movie title examples It Ends with UsKingdom of the Planet of the Apes
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Use these guidelines in MLA movie citations or when you mention a film in the main text.
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can also help you format movie titles correctly.
