Have you ever wondered what is the difference between ‘Film’ and ‘Movie’?
Sometimes when you live in England you are offered to watch a film. When you live in the US, you could be offered to watch a movie. For a non-native English speaker this could be a dilemma:
What is the difference???
The main explanation is very simple. These two words are very close: both are directly related to cinema and motion pictures. The main difference is that film belongs to British English and movie belongs to American English
In modern English, these words are used interchangeably: the choice between film and movie depends mainly on which variant of English you are using. The film is more common in the UK and Europe and is more commonly used in written format, while a movie is more common in spoken language, and in the USA.
In a deeper inspection, ‘film’ is an older term and is more commonly used by those in the film industry. ‘Movie’ was originally a slang term for a motion picture or a shorter version of a moving picture.
When is it appropriate to use?
Professionals, such as producers and directors often use the word ‘film’ for a serious motion picture with artistic value, it is also more commonly used by people outside (but working closely with) the industry, such as the press and academics, especially in writing.
The word ‘movie’ is generally appropriate to be used for light motion pictures created for entertainment and commercial gain:
David Cameron is producing a film about life.
This movie was very funny.
These words also have additional meanings. ‘Movie’ can be used in the sense of 'a place where movies are shown':
Hey! Let’s go to the movies tonight!
A film can mean ‘film for filming’:
Citizen Kane' was first filmed in 1941 in a black and white film.
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