Independent Spirit Awards 1991
The sixth presentation of the Independent Spirit Awards took place in 1991.
Summary
Best film was Grifters (The Grifters) by Stephen Frears, who was nominated four times for best foreign film . Frears himself was not nominated, his producers (including Martin Scorsese ) received the award. Grifters (The Grifters) came up with just one other nomination: Anjelica Huston was voted Best Actress ( Joanne Woodward lost again) and won her second Independent Spirit Award. The winning film was Charles Burnett Angry sleep (To Sleep with Anger) , who was nominated seven times and won four awards. John McNaughton's disturbing film Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer was nominated for six awards but did not receive a single one. David Lynch's Wild at Heart - The Story of Sailor and Lula received the camera award and otherwise only one nomination for Willem Dafoe as best supporting actor, his second. Jane Campion won the award for best foreign film against Peter Greenaway , who for The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover) was nominated.
Winners and nominees
Best movie
Grifters (The Grifters) - Robert A. Harris , Jim Painter , Martin Scorsese
- Pump Up the Volume (Pump Up the Volume) - Rupert Harvey , Sandy Stern
- Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer - John McNaughton , Lisa Dedmond , Steven A. Jones
- The plot against Harry (The Plot Against Harry) - Robert M. Young , Michael Roemer
- Angry sleeping (To Sleep with Anger) - Caldecot Chubb , Thomas S. Byrnes , Darin Scott
Best debut film
Metropolitan - Damn, bourgeois, in love (Metropolitan) - Whit Stillman
- House Party - Reginald Hudlin , Warrington Hudlin
- Lightning Over Braddock: A Rustbowl Fantasy - Tony Buba
- The Natural History of Parking Lots - Everett Lewis , Aziz Ghazal
- Twister - Not a completely normal family (Twister) - Michael Almereyda , Wieland Schulz-Keil
Best Actor
Danny Glover - Angry sleep (To Sleep with Anger)
- Martin Priest - The plot against Harry (The Plot Against Harry)
- Christopher Reid - House Party
- Michael Rooker - Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
- Christian Slater - Hart on Air (Pump Up the Volume)
Best main actress
Anjelica Huston - Grifters (The Grifters)
- Mary Alice - Angry sleep (To Sleep with Anger)
- Eszter Bálint - After Us the Flood (Bail Jumper)
- Carolyn Farina - Metropolitan - Damn, bourgeois, in love (Metropolitan)
- Joanne Woodward - Mr. & Mrs. Bridge
Best supporting actor
Bruce Davison - Friendship for Life (Longtime Companion)
- Willem Dafoe - Wild at Heart
- Robin Harris - House Party
- Ben Long - The plot against Harry (The Plot Against Harry)
- Tom Towles - Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
The best supporting actress
Sheryl Lee Ralph - Angry sleep (To Sleep with Anger)
- Ethel Ayler - Angry sleep (To Sleep with Anger)
- Tracy Arnold - Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
- Tisha Campbell - House Party
- AJ Johnson - House Party
Best director
Charles Burnett - Angry sleep (To Sleep with Anger)
- Reginald Hudlin - House Party
- John McNaughton - Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
- Allan Moyle - Hard on Air (Pump Up the Volume)
- Michael Roemer - The plot against Harry (The Plot Against Harry)
Best script
Charles Burnett - Angry sleep (To Sleep with Anger)
- John McNaughton , Richard Fire - Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
- Allan Moyle - Hard on Air (Pump Up the Volume)
- Michael Roemer - The plot against Harry (The Plot Against Harry)
- Whit Stillman - Metropolitan - Damn, bourgeois, in love (Metropolitan)
Best camera
Frederick Elmes - Wild at Heart
- Bojan Bazelli - King of New York - King between day and night
- Peter Deming - House Party
- Amir M. Mokri - Life Is Cheap ... But Toilet Paper Is Expensive
- Robert M. Young - The plot against Harry (The Plot Against Harry)
Best foreign film
- The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover) - Peter Greenaway
- Black Rain (Kuroi ame) - Shohei Imamura
- A City of Sadness (Beiqing chengshi) - Hou Hsiao-Hsien
- Zamri, umir, voskresni! - Vitali Kanevsky