5th Independent Spirit Awards

5th Independent Spirit Awards
5th Independent Spirit Awards
Date	March 24, 1990
Site	Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel ; Los Angeles, California ; U.S.
Hosted by	Buck Henry
Highlights
Best Film	Sex, Lies, and Videotape
Most awards	Sex, Lies, and Videotape (4); Drugstore Cowboy (4)
Most nominations	Drugstore Cowboy (8)
	← 4th ; Independent Spirit Awards ; 6th →;

Last updated October 27, 2025

The 5th Independent Spirit Awards , honoring the best in independent filmmaking for 1989, were announced on March 24, 1990^[1] at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. It was hosted by Buck Henry.^[2]

Winners and nominees

Best Feature	Best Director
Sex, Lies, and Videotape ^[3] Drugstore Cowboy Heat and Sunlight Mystery Train True Love	Steven Soderbergh – Sex, Lies, and Videotape Jim Jarmusch – Mystery Train Charles Lane – Sidewalk Stories Nancy Savoca – True Love Gus Van Sant – Drugstore Cowboy
Best Actor	Best Actress
Matt Dillon – Drugstore Cowboy ^[4] Nicolas Cage – Vampire's Kiss Charles Lane – Sidewalk Stories Randy Quaid – Parents James Spader – Sex, Lies, and Videotape	Andie MacDowell – Sex, Lies, and Videotape Youki Kudoh – Mystery Train Kelly Lynch – Drugstore Cowboy Winona Ryder – Heathers Annabella Sciorra – True Love
Best Supporting Actor	Best Supporting Actress
Max Perlich – Drugstore Cowboy Steve Buscemi – Mystery Train Scott Coffey – Shag Gary Farmer – Powwow Highway Screamin' Jay Hawkins – Mystery Train	Laura San Giacomo – Sex, Lies, and Videotape Bridget Fonda – Shag Heather Graham – Drugstore Cowboy Mare Winningham – Miracle Mile Mary Woronov – Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills
Best Screenplay	Best First Feature
Drugstore Cowboy – Gus Van Sant and Daniel Yost 84 Charlie Mopic – Patrick S. Duncan Heathers – Daniel Waters Miracle Mile – Steve De Jarnatt Mystery Train – Jim Jarmusch	Heathers 84 Charlie Mopic Powwow Highway Sidewalk Stories Talking to Strangers
Best Cinematography	Best Foreign Film
Drugstore Cowboy – Robert Yeoman Earth Girls Are Easy – Oliver Stapleton Mystery Train – Robby Müller Powwow Highway – Toyomichi Kurita Talking to Strangers– Robert Tregenza	My Left Foot • Ireland/UK Distant Voices, Still Lives • UK Hanussen • Hungary/West Germany/Austria High Hopes • UK Rouge • Hong Kong

Films with multiple nominations and awards

Films that received multiple nominations

Nominations	Film
8	Drugstore Cowboy
7	Mystery Train
5	Sex, Lies, and Videotape
3	Heathers
	Powwow Highway
	Sidewalk Stories
	True Love
2	84 Charlie Mopic
	Miracle Mile
	Talking to Strangers
	Shag

Films that won multiple awards

Awards	Film
4	Sex, Lies, and Videotape
4	Drugstore Cowboy

Special Distinction Award

Do the Right Thing

References

↑ "News & Notes: Indie Awards". Entertainment Weekly. 1990-04-13. Archived from the original on 2014-03-13. Retrieved 2014-03-13.
↑ "Independence days". Variety. 2005-02-24. Retrieved 2014-03-13.
↑ sex, lies and videotape (1989) Awards & Festivals|MUBI
↑ AFI|Catalog - Drugstore Cowboy

External links

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[1] "News & Notes: Indie Awards". Entertainment Weekly. 1990-04-13. Archived from the original on 2014-03-13. Retrieved 2014-03-13.

[2] "Independence days". Variety. 2005-02-24. Retrieved 2014-03-13.

[3] sex, lies and videotape (1989) Awards & Festivals|MUBI

[4] AFI|Catalog - Drugstore Cowboy

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v t e Independent Spirit Awards
Current categories	Best Film Best Director Best Lead Performance Best Supporting Performance Best Breakthrough Performance Best Cinematography Best Editing Best Documentary Feature Best First Feature Best International Film Best Screenplay Best First Screenplay Best New Scripted Series Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series Best Supporting Performance in a New Scripted Series John Cassavetes Award Robert Altman Award
Retired categories	Best Male Lead Best Female Lead Best Supporting Male Best Supporting Female Best Male Performance in a New Scripted Series Best Female Performance in a New Scripted Series
Ceremonies	1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 (years are of film release; ceremonies are the following year)