Published February 8, 2021. Updated August 15, 2021.

To cite a movie in Harvard style, it’s helpful to know basic information including the title of the movie, the year of distribution, the director’s name, and the place of distribution and distributor.

The templates and examples below are based on the 11th edition of the book Cite Them Right by Richard Pears and Graham Shields. This page is not affiliated with Cite Them Right but uses the text for standardisation purposes, as Harvard style can vary widely between institutions.

If you’re trying to cite a movie, the Chegg Writing Harvard referencing generator could help. Help protect your paper against accidental plagiarism with the Chegg Writing plagiarism checker and citation generator.

Citing a movie viewed in theaters in Harvard referencing style

When citing a movie in Harvard style, the movie title and year are used in both narrative and parenthetical citations.

In-text citation template and example:

Narrative:

Movie title (Year of distribution)

Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)

Parenthetical:

(Movie title, year of distribution)

(Mission: Impossible 2, 2000)

Reference list entry template and example:

Citing a movie viewed via a streaming service in Harvard referencing style

Like with movies viewed in theaters, movies that are streamed online also use the movie title and year in both narrative and parenthetical citations.

In-text citation template and example:

Narrative:

Movie title (Year of distribution)

Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)

Parenthetical:

(Movie title, year of distribution)

(Mission: Impossible 2, 2000)

Reference list entry template and example:

Citing a movie viewed on DVD/Blu-ray in Harvard referencing style

When citing a movie viewed on DVD or Blu-ray in Harvard style, the movie title and the original distribution year are used in both narrative and parenthetical citations.

In-text citation template and example:

Narrative:

Movie title (Year of distribution)

Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)

Parenthetical:

(Movie title, year of distribution)

(Mission: Impossible 2, 2000)

Reference list entry template and example:

General note: If a movie has been reissued in DVD or Blu-ray after its original distribution date, the year of the reissue should be included at the end of the citation.

For more style basics, read this Harvard referencing in-text citations guide and this article on formatting Harvard referencing style papers.