The 6th Independent Spirit Awards, honoring the best in independent filmmaking for 1990, were announced on March 23, 1991, at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. The nominations were announced on January 20, 1991. It was hosted by Buck Henry.
Winners and nominees
Best Feature Best Director The Grifters Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer The Plot Against Harry Pump Up the Volume To Sleep with Anger Charles Burnett – To Sleep with Anger Reginald Hudlin – House Party John McNaughton – Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer Allan Moyle – Pump Up the Volume Michael Roemer – The Plot Against Harry Best Male Lead Best Female Lead Danny Glover – To Sleep with Anger Martin Priest – The Plot Against Harry Christopher Reid – House Party Michael Rooker – Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer Christian Slater – Pump Up the Volume Anjelica Huston – The Grifters Mary Alice – To Sleep with Anger Eszter Balint – Bail Jumper Carolyn Farina – Metropolitan Joanne Woodward – Mr. & Mrs. Bridge Best Supporting Male Best Supporting Female Bruce Davison – Longtime Companion Willem Dafoe – Wild at Heart Robin Harris – House Party Ben Lang – The Plot Against Harry Tom Towles – Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer Sheryl Lee Ralph – To Sleep with Anger Tracy Arnold – Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer Ethel Ayler – To Sleep with Anger Tisha Campbell – House Party A.J. Johnson – House Party Best Screenplay Best First Feature To Sleep with Anger – Charles Burnett Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer – John McNaughton and Richard Fire Metropolitan – Whit Stillman The Plot Against Harry – Michael Roemer Pump Up the Volume – Allan Moyle Metropolitan – Whit Stillman House Party – Reginald Hudlin and Warrington Hudlin Lightning Over Braddock: A Rustbowl Fantasy – Tony Buba The Natural History of Parking Lots – Everett Lewis and Aziz Ghazal Twister – Michael Almereyda and Wieland Schulz-Keil Best Cinematography Best Foreign Film Wild at Heart – Frederick Elmes House Party – Peter Deming King of New York – Bojan Bazelli Life Is Cheap... But Toilet Paper Is Expensive – Amir Mokri The Plot Against Harry – Robert M. Young Sweetie • Australia Black Rain • Japan A City of Sadness • Taiwan The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover • France/Netherlands/UK Freeze, Die, Come to Life • Soviet Union
Films with multiple nominations and awards
Films that received multiple nominations Nominations Film 7 House Party To Sleep with Anger 6 Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer The Plot Against Harry 4 Pump Up the Volume 3 Metropolitan 2 The Grifters Wild at Heart
Films that won multiple awards Awards Film 4 To Sleep with Anger 2 The Grifters
Special awards
Friend of Independents Award Eastman Kodak Co. Sovereign Pictures, Inc.
John Cassavetes Award Jon Jost Edward R. Pressman
Special Distinction Award Kevin Costner and Jim Wilson – Dances with Wolves
References
External links Full ceremony on YouTube 1990 Spirit Awards at IMDb