Awards - Independent Spirit Awards - 1986-1994

Best Feature

• Short Cuts (Cary Brokaw)
• Equinox (David Blocker)
• Ruby in Paradise (Keith Crofford)
• The Wedding Banquet (Ted Hope, Ang Lee, James Schamus)
• Much Ado About Nothing (Kenneth Branagh, Stephen Evans, David Parfitt)

Best First Feature

• El Mariachi (Carlos Gallardo, Robert Rodriguez)
• American Heart (Martin Bell, Jeff Bridges, Rosilyn Heller)
• Combination Platter (Tony Chan, Judy Moy)
• Menace II Society (Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes, Darin Scott)
• Mac (Brenda Goodman, Nancy Tenenbaum, John Turturro)

Best Director

• Robert Altman (Short Cuts)
• Robert Rodriguez (El Mariachi)
• Ang Lee (The Wedding Banquet)
• John Turturro (Mac)
• Victor Nunez (Ruby in Paradise)

Best Male Lead

• Jeff Bridges (American Heart)
• Matthew Modine (Equinox)
• Tyrin Turner (Menace II Society)
• Vincent D'Onofrio (Household Saints)
• Mitchell Lichtenstein (The Wedding Banquet)

Best Female Lead

• Ashley Judd (Ruby in Paradise)
• Ariyan A. Johnson (Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.)
• May Chin (The Wedding Banquet)
• Emma Thompson (Much Ado About Nothing)
• Suzy Amis (The Ballad of Little Jo)

Best Supporting Male

• Christopher Lloyd (Twenty Bucks)
• Edward Furlong (American Heart)
• Todd Field (Ruby in Paradise)
• Tate Donovan (Inside Monkey Zetterland)
• David Chung (The Ballad of Little Jo)

Best Supporting Female

• Lili Taylor (Household Saints)
• Lara Flynn Boyle (Equinox)
• Lucinda Jenney (American Heart)
• Julianne Moore (Short Cuts)
• Grace Guei (The Wedding Banquet)

Best Screenplay

• Robert Altman, Frank Barhydt (Short Cuts)
• Edwin Baker, Tony Chan (Combination Platter)
• Victor Nunez (Ruby in Paradise)
• Richard Guay, Nancy Savoca (Household Saints)
• Ang Lee, Neil Peng, James Schamus (The Wedding Banquet)

Best Cinematography

• Lisa Rinzler (Menace II Society)
• James R. Bagdonas (American Heart)
• Elliot Davis (Equinox)
• Nancy Schreiber (Chain of Desire)
• Alex Vlacos (Ruby in Paradise)

Best International Film

• The Piano (Jane Campion)
• Like Water for Chocolate (Alfonso Arau)
• Orlando (Sally Potter)
• Naked (Mike Leigh)
• The Story of Qiu Ju (Yimou Zhang)

Special Distinction Award

• Sandra Schulberg

John Cassavetes Award

• Jim Jarmusch

Best Feature

• The Player (David Brown, Michael Tolkin, Nick Wechsler)
• Bad Lieutenant (Mary Kane, Edward R. Pressman)
• Gas Food Lodging (William Ewart, Daniel Hassid, Seth Willenson)
• One False Move (Ben Myron)
• Mississippi Masala (Mira Nair, Michael Nozik)

Best First Feature

• The Waterdance (Marie Cantin, Gale Anne Hurd, Neal Jimenez, Guy Riedel, Michael Steinberg)
• Reservoir Dogs (Lawrence Bender, Quentin Tarantino)
• My New Gun (Stacy Cochran, Michael Flynn)
• Laws of Gravity (Nick Gomez, Bob Gosse, Larry Meistrich)
• Swoon (Tom Kalin, Christine Vachon)

Best Director

• Carl Franklin (One False Move)
• Abel Ferrara (Bad Lieutenant)
• Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs)
• Allison Anders (Gas Food Lodging)
• Tom Kalin (Swoon)

Best Male Lead

• Harvey Keitel (Bad Lieutenant)
• Laurence Fishburne (Deep Cover)
• Peter Greene (Laws of Gravity)
• Craig Chester (Swoon)
• Michael Rapaport (Zebrahead)

Best Female Lead

• Fairuza Balk (Gas Food Lodging)
• Cynda Williams (One False Move)
• Edie Falco (Laws of Gravity)
• Sheryl Lee (Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me)
• Catherine Keener (Johnny Suede)

Best Supporting Male

• Steve Buscemi (Reservoir Dogs)
• Jeff Goldblum (Deep Cover)
• Wesley Snipes (The Waterdance)
• William Forsythe (The Waterdance)
• David Strathairn (Passion Fish)

Best Supporting Female

• Alfre Woodard (Passion Fish)
• Brooke Adams (Gas Food Lodging)
• Danitra Vance (Jumpin' at the Boneyard)
• Sara Gilbert (Poison Ivy)
• Karen Sillas (Simple Men)

Best Screenplay

• Neal Jimenez (The Waterdance)
• Keith Gordon (A Midnight Clear)
• Tom Epperson, Billy Bob Thornton (One False Move)
• Allison Anders (Gas Food Lodging)
• Paul Schrader (Light Sleeper)

Best Cinematography

• Frederick Elmes (Night on Earth)
• Jon Jost (All the Vermeers in New York)
• Edward Lachman (Light Sleeper)
• Jean de Segonzac (Laws of Gravity)
• Ellen Kuras (Swoon)

Best Original Score

• Angelo Badalamenti (Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me)
• Jon A. English (All the Vermeers in New York)
• Maureen McElheron (The Tune)
• Taj Mahal (Zebrahead)
• Peter Haycock, Derek Holt, Terry Plumeri (One False Move)

Best International Film

• The Crying Game (Neil Jordan)
• Danzon (María Novaro)
• Howards End (James Ivory)
• Raise the Red Lantern (Yimou Zhang)
• Close to Eden (Nikita Mikhalkov)

Special Distinction Award

• The Hours and Times (Christopher Munch)

Best Feature

• Rambling Rose (Renny Harlin)
• City of Hope (Sarah Green, Maggie Renzi)
• Homicide (Michael Hausman, Edward R. Pressman)
• Hangin' with the Homeboys (Richard Brick)
• My Own Private Idaho (Laurie Parker)

Best First Feature

• Straight Out of Brooklyn (Matty Rich)
• Chameleon Street (Wendell B. Harris Jr.)
• Slacker (Richard Linklater)
• Poison (Todd Haynes, Christine Vachon)
• The Rapture (Karen Koch, Nancy Tenenbaum, Michael Tolkin, Nick Wechsler)

Best Director

• Martha Coolidge (Rambling Rose)
• Gus Van Sant (My Own Private Idaho)
• Richard Linklater (Slacker)
• Joseph B. Vasquez (Hangin' with the Homeboys)
• Todd Haynes (Poison)

Best Male Lead

• River Phoenix (My Own Private Idaho)
• Doug E. Doug (Hangin' with the Homeboys)
• Robert Duvall (Rambling Rose)
• William Russ (Pastime)
• Gary Oldman (Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead)

Best Female Lead

• Judy Davis (Impromptu)
• Lili Taylor (Bright Angel)
• Lily Tomlin (The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe)
• Mimi Rogers (The Rapture)
• Patsy Kensit (Twenty-One)

Best Supporting Male

• David Strathairn (City of Hope)
• William H. Macy (Homicide)
• John Malkovich (Queens Logic)
• George T. Odom (Straight Out of Brooklyn)
• Glenn Plummer (Pastime)

Best Supporting Female

• Diane Ladd (Rambling Rose)
• Sheila McCarthy (Bright Angel)
• Emma Thompson (Impromptu)
• Mary B. Ward (Hangin' with the Homeboys)
• Deirdre O'Connell (Pastime)

Best Screenplay

• Gus Van Sant (My Own Private Idaho)
• Joseph B. Vasquez (Hangin' with the Homeboys)
• Floyd Byars, Fritjof Capra (Mindwalk)
• Lem Dobbs (Kafka)
• Michael Tolkin (The Rapture)

Best Cinematography

• Walt Lloyd (Kafka)
• Roger Deakins (Homicide)
• Tom Richmond (Pastime)
• John J. Campbell, Eric Alan Edwards (My Own Private Idaho)
• Johnny E. Jensen (Rambling Rose)

Best Film Music

• Bill Stafford (My Own Private Idaho)
• Jim Dunbar, Randall Poster (A Matter of Degrees)
• Nigel Holton, Marcos Loya (Kiss Me a Killer)
• David Chackler, Joel Sill (Hangin' with the Homeboys)
• Harold Wheeler (Straight Out of Brooklyn)

Best International Film

• An Angel at My Table (Jane Campion)
• The Double Life of Veronique (Krzysztof Kieslowski)
• Requiem für Dominik (Robert Dornhelm)
• Life Is Sweet (Mike Leigh)
• Taksi-Blyuz (Павел Лунгин)

Best Feature

• The Grifters (Robert A. Harris, Jim Painter, Martin Scorsese)
• Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (Lisa Dedmond, Steven A. Jones, John McNaughton)
• Pump Up the Volume (Rupert Harvey, Sandy Stern)
• The Plot Against Harry (Michael Roemer, Robert M. Young)
• To Sleep with Anger (Thomas S. Byrnes, Caldecot Chubb, Darin Scott)

Best First Feature

• Metropolitan (Whit Stillman)
• House Party (Reginald Hudlin, Warrington Hudlin)
• The Natural History of Parking Lots (Aziz Ghazal, Everett Lewis)
• Lightning Over Braddock: A Rustbowl Fantasy (Tony Buba)
• Twister (Michael Almereyda, Wieland Schulz-Keil)

Best Director

• Charles Burnett (To Sleep with Anger)
• Allan Moyle (Pump Up the Volume)
• Michael Roemer (The Plot Against Harry)
• John McNaughton (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer)
• Reginald Hudlin (House Party)

Best Male Lead

• Danny Glover (To Sleep with Anger)
• Michael Rooker (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer)
• Christian Slater (Pump Up the Volume)
• Christopher Reid (House Party)
• Martin Priest (The Plot Against Harry)

Best Female Lead

• Anjelica Huston (The Grifters)
• Eszter Balint (Bail Jumper)
• Joanne Woodward (Mr. & Mrs. Bridge)
• Carolyn Farina (Metropolitan)
• Mary Alice (To Sleep with Anger)

Best Supporting Male

• Bruce Davison (Longtime Companion)
• Ben Lang (The Plot Against Harry)
• Robin Harris (House Party)
• Willem Dafoe (Wild at Heart)
• Tom Towles (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer)

Best Supporting Female

• Sheryl Lee Ralph (To Sleep with Anger)
• Tracy Arnold (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer)
• Tisha Campbell-Martin (House Party)
• A.J. Johnson (House Party)
• Ethel Ayler (To Sleep with Anger)

Best Screenplay

• Charles Burnett (To Sleep with Anger)
• Whit Stillman (Metropolitan)
• Richard Fire, John McNaughton (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer)
• Allan Moyle (Pump Up the Volume)
• Michael Roemer (The Plot Against Harry)

Best Cinematography

• Frederick Elmes (Wild at Heart)
• Peter Deming (House Party)
• Amir Mokri (Life Is Cheap... But Toilet Paper Is Expensive)
• Bojan Bazelli (King of New York)
• Robert M. Young (The Plot Against Harry)

Best International Film

• Sweetie (Jane Campion)
• A City of Sadness (Hsiao-Hsien Hou)
• The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (Peter Greenaway)
• Black Rain (Shôhei Imamura)
• Freeze Die Come to Life (Vitali Kanevsky)

Special Distinction Award

• Dances with Wolves (Kevin Costner, Jim Wilson)

John Cassavetes Award

• Edward R. Pressman
• Jon Jost

Friends of Independence Award

• Eastman Kodak Company
• Sovereign Pictures, Inc.

Best Feature

• Sex, Lies, and Videotape (John Hardy, Robert F. Newmyer)
• Drugstore Cowboy (Karen Murphy, Nick Wechsler)
• Mystery Train (Jim Stark)
• Heat and Sunlight (Steve Burns)
• True Love (Richard Guay, Shelley Houis)

Best First Feature

• Heathers (Denise Di Novi, Michael Lehmann)
• 84C MoPic (Patrick Sheane Duncan, Michael Nolin)
• Sidewalk Stories (Howard M. Brickner, Charles Lane)
• Powwow Highway (Jonathan Wacks, Jan Wieringa)
• Talking to Strangers (J.K. Eareckson, Rob Tregenza)

Best Director

• Steven Soderbergh (Sex, Lies, and Videotape)
• Charles Lane (Sidewalk Stories)
• Gus Van Sant (Drugstore Cowboy)
• Jim Jarmusch (Mystery Train)
• Nancy Savoca (True Love)

Best Male Lead

• Matt Dillon (Drugstore Cowboy)
• Randy Quaid (Parents)
• James Spader (Sex, Lies, and Videotape)
• Nicolas Cage (Vampire's Kiss)
• Charles Lane (Sidewalk Stories)

Best Female Lead

• Andie MacDowell (Sex, Lies, and Videotape)
• Winona Ryder (Heathers)
• Kelly Lynch (Drugstore Cowboy)
• Yūki Kudō (Mystery Train)
• Annabella Sciorra (True Love)

Best Supporting Male

• Max Perlich (Drugstore Cowboy)
• Gary Farmer (Powwow Highway)
• Screamin' Jay Hawkins (Mystery Train)
• Scott Coffey (Shag)
• Steve Buscemi (Mystery Train)

Best Supporting Female

• Laura San Giacomo (Sex, Lies, and Videotape)
• Mary Woronov (Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills)
• Mare Winningham (Miracle Mile)
• Bridget Fonda (Shag)
• Heather Graham (Drugstore Cowboy)

Best Screenplay

• Gus Van Sant, Daniel Yost (Drugstore Cowboy)
• Patrick Sheane Duncan (84C MoPic)
• Steve De Jarnatt (Miracle Mile)
• Daniel Waters (Heathers)
• Jim Jarmusch (Mystery Train)

Best Cinematography

• Robert D. Yeoman (Drugstore Cowboy)
• Robby Müller (Mystery Train)
• 栗田豊通 (Powwow Highway)
• Oliver Stapleton (Earth Girls Are Easy)
• Rob Tregenza (Talking to Strangers)

Best International Film

• My Left Foot (Jim Sheridan)
• Distant Voices, Still Lives (Terence Davies)
• High Hopes (Mike Leigh)
• Hanussen (István Szabó)
• Rouge (Stanley Kwan)

Best Feature

• Stand and Deliver (Tom Musca)
• Hairspray (Rachel Talalay)
• The Thin Blue Line (Mark Lipson)
• Patti Rocks (Gregory M. Cummins, Gwen Field)
• Torch Song Trilogy (Howard Gottfried)

Best First Feature

• Mystic Pizza (Mark Levinson, Scott M. Rosenfelt, Donald Petrie)
• The Chocolate War (Keith Gordon, Jonathan D. Krane)
• Border Radio (Allison Anders, Marcus DeLeon, Dean Lent, Kurt Voss)
• The Prince of Pennsylvania (Joan Fishman, Ron Nyswaner, Kerry Orent)
• The Wash (Calvin Skaggs, Michael Toshiyuki Uno)

Best Director

• Ramón Menéndez (Stand and Deliver)
• David Burton Morris (Patti Rocks)
• John Waters (Hairspray)
• Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line)
• Oliver Stone (Talk Radio)

Best Male Lead

• Edward James Olmos (Stand and Deliver)
• Chris Mulkey (Patti Rocks)
• Eric Bogosian (Talk Radio)
• James Woods (The Boost)
• Harvey Fierstein (Torch Song Trilogy)

Best Female Lead

• Jodie Foster (Five Corners)
• Ricki Lake (Hairspray)
• Meg Ryan (Promised Land)
• Julia Roberts (Mystic Pizza)
• Nobu McCarthy (The Wash)

Best Supporting Male

• Lou Diamond Phillips (Stand and Deliver)
• Divine (Hairspray)
• John Turturro (Five Corners)
• Ernest Borgnine (Spike of Bensonhurst)
• John Lone (The Moderns)

Best Supporting Female

• Rosanna DeSoto (Stand and Deliver)
• Deborah Harry (Hairspray)
• Bonnie Bedelia (The Prince of Pennsylvania)
• Amy Madigan (The Prince of Pennsylvania)
• Patti Yasutake (The Wash)

Best Screenplay

• Ramón Menéndez, Tom Musca (Stand and Deliver)
• John Patrick Shanley (Five Corners)
• John Waters (Hairspray)
• John Jenkins, Karen Landry, David Burton Morris, Chris Mulkey (Patti Rocks)
• Jon Bradshaw, Alan Rudolph (The Moderns)

Best Cinematography

• Sven Nykvist (The Unbearable Lightness of Being)
• Gregory M. Cummins (Patti Rocks)
• Tom Richmond (Stand and Deliver)
• Robert Richardson (Talk Radio)
• 栗田豊通 (The Moderns)

Best International Film

• Wings of Desire (Wim Wenders)
• A World Apart (Chris Menges)
• The Kitchen Toto (Harry Hook)
• Bagdad Café (Percy Adlon)
• Brightness (Souleymane Cissé)

Friends of Independence Award

• The National Coalition of Independent Public Broadcasting Producers

Best Feature

• River's Edge (Sarah Pillsbury, Midge Sanford)
• Matewan (Peggy Rajski, Maggie Renzi)
• The Big Easy (Stephen J. Friedman)
• Swimming to Cambodia (Renée Shafransky)
• The Dead (Wieland Schulz-Keil, Chris Sievernich)
• Tough Guys Don't Dance (Yoram Globus, Menahem Golan)

Best First Feature

• Dirty Dancing (Emile Ardolino, Linda Gottlieb)
• Anna (Jerzy Bogajewicz, Zanne Devine)
• Siesta (Gary Kurfirst, Mary Lambert)
• Hollywood Shuffle (Carl Craig, Robert Townsend)
• Waiting for the Moon (Jill Godmilow, Sandra Schulberg)

Best Director

• John Huston (The Dead)
• Jim McBride (The Big Easy)
• Jonathan Demme (Swimming to Cambodia)
• John Sayles (Matewan)
• Tim Hunter (River's Edge)

Best Male Lead

• Dennis Quaid (The Big Easy)
• Mickey Rourke (Barfly)
• Spalding Gray (Swimming to Cambodia)
• James Woods (Best Seller)
• Terry O'Quinn (The Stepfather)

Best Female Lead

• Sally Kirkland (Anna)
• Joanne Woodward (The Glass Menagerie)
• Debra Stipe (Tough Guys Don't Dance)
• Lillian Gish (The Whales of August)
• Louise Smith (Working Girls)

Best Supporting Male

• Morgan Freeman (Street Smart)
• James Earl Jones (Matewan)
• Vincent Price (The Whales of August)
• David Strathairn (Matewan)
• Wings Hauser (Tough Guys Don't Dance)

Best Supporting Female

• Anjelica Huston (The Dead)
• Martha Plimpton (Shy People)
• Karen Allen (The Glass Menagerie)
• Kathy Baker (Street Smart)
• Ann Sothern (The Whales of August)

Best Screenplay

• Neal Jimenez (River's Edge)
• Agnieszka Holland (Anna)
• Spalding Gray (Swimming to Cambodia)
• John Sayles (Matewan)
• Tony Huston (The Dead)

Best Cinematography

• Haskell Wexler (Matewan)
• Robby Müller (Barfly)
• Fred Murphy (The Dead)
• Amir Mokri (Slamdance)
• John Bailey (Tough Guys Don't Dance)

Best International Film

• My Life As a Dog (Lasse Hallström)
• Goodbye, Children (Louis Malle)
• Prick Up Your Ears (Stephen Frears)
• Hope and Glory (John Boorman)
• Dandelion (Jūzō Itami)

Best Feature

• Platoon (Arnold Kopelson)
• Down by Law (Alan Kleinberg)
• On Valentine's Day (Lillian V. Foote, Calvin Skaggs)
• Blue Velvet (Fred C. Caruso)
• Stand by Me (Bruce A. Evans, Raynold Gideon, Andrew Scheinman)
• Salvador (Gerald Green, Oliver Stone)

Best First Feature

• She's Gotta Have It (Spike Lee)
• A Great Wall (Peter Wang)
• Belizaire the Cajun (Allan L. Durand, Glen Pitre)
• True Stories (David Byrne, Gary Kurfirst)
• Hoosiers (David Anspaugh, John Daly, Carter DeHaven, Derek Gibson, Angelo Pizzo)

Best Director

• Oliver Stone (Platoon)
• David Lynch (Blue Velvet)
• Oliver Stone (Salvador)
• Jim Jarmusch (Down by Law)
• Rob Reiner (Stand by Me)

Best Actor

• James Woods (Salvador)
• Roberto Benigni (Down by Law)
• Victor Love (Native Son)
• Dennis Hopper (Blue Velvet)
• Willem Dafoe (Platoon)

Best Actress

• Isabella Rossellini (Blue Velvet)
• Laura Dern (Blue Velvet)
• Patricia Charbonneau (Desert Hearts)
• Elpidia Carrillo (Salvador)
• Tracy Camilla Johns (She's Gotta Have It)

Best Screenplay

• Oliver Stone (Platoon)
• Richard Boyle, Oliver Stone (Salvador)
• Shirley Sun, Peter Wang (A Great Wall)
• David Lynch (Blue Velvet)
• Bruce A. Evans, Raynold Gideon (Stand by Me)

Best Cinematography

• Robert Richardson (Platoon)
• Robby Müller (Down by Law)
• Robert Richardson (Salvador)
• Frederick Elmes (Blue Velvet)
• Edward Lachman (True Stories)

Special Distinction Award

• A Room with a View
• 28 Up
• My Beautiful Laundrette
• Mona Lisa
• Men...

Best Feature

• After Hours (Robert F. Colesberry, Griffin Dunne, Amy Robinson)
• Smooth Talk (Martin Rosen)
• Blood Simple (Ethan Coen)
• The Trip to Bountiful (Horton Foote, Sterling Van Wagenen)

Best Director

• Martin Scorsese (After Hours)
• Joel Coen (Blood Simple)
• Peter Masterson (The Trip to Bountiful)
• Joyce Chopra (Smooth Talk)

Best Actor

• M. Emmet Walsh (Blood Simple)
• Rubén Blades (Crossover Dreams)
• Tom Bower (Wildrose)
• Treat Williams (Smooth Talk)

Best Actress

• Geraldine Page (The Trip to Bountiful)
• Laura Dern (Smooth Talk)
• Rosanna Arquette (After Hours)
• Lori Singer (Trouble in Mind)

Best Screenplay

• Horton Foote (The Trip to Bountiful)
• Joseph Minion (After Hours)
• Ethan Coen, Joel Coen (Blood Simple)
• Tom Cole (Smooth Talk)

Best Cinematography

• 栗田豊通 (Trouble in Mind)
• Michael Chin (Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart)
• Michael Ballhaus (After Hours)
• Barry Sonnenfeld (Blood Simple)

Special Distinction Award

• Kiss of the Spider Woman
• Dreamchild
• The Hit
• Ran