The 4th Independent Spirit Awards, honoring the best in independent filmmaking for 1988, were announced on March 25, 1989 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. It was hosted by Buck Henry.

Winners and nominees

Edward James Olmos, Best Male Lead winner
Jodie Foster, Best Female Lead winner
Best FeatureBest Director
Stand and Deliver Hairspray Patti Rocks The Thin Blue Line Torch Song TrilogyRamón Menéndez – Stand and Deliver David Burton Morris – Patti Rocks Errol Morris – The Thin Blue Line Oliver Stone – Talk Radio John Waters – Hairspray
Best Male LeadBest Female Lead
Edward James Olmos – Stand and Deliver Eric Bogosian – Talk Radio Harvey Fierstein – Torch Song Trilogy Chris Mulkey – Patti Rocks James Woods – The BoostJodie Foster – Five Corners Ricki Lake – Hairspray Nobu McCarthy – The Wash Julia Roberts – Mystic Pizza Meg Ryan – Promised Land
Best Supporting MaleBest Supporting Female
Lou Diamond Phillips – Stand and Deliver Ernest Borgnine – Spike of Bensonhurst Divine – Hairspray John Lone – The Moderns John Turturro – Five CornersRosana De Soto – Stand and Deliver Bonnie Bedelia – The Prince of Pennsylvania Debbie Harry – Hairspray Amy Madigan – The Prince of Pennsylvania Patti Yasutake – The Wash
Best ScreenplayBest First Feature
Stand and Deliver – Ramón Menéndez and Tom Musca Five Corners – John Patrick Shanley Hairspray – John Waters The Moderns – Alan Rudolph and Jon Bradshaw Patti Rocks – John Jenkins, Karen Landry, David Burton Morris and Chris MulkeyMystic Pizza Border Radio – Allison Anders The Chocolate War The Prince of Pennsylvania The Wash
Best CinematographyBest Foreign Film
The Unbearable Lightness of Being – Sven Nykvist The Moderns – Toyomichi Kurita Patti Rocks – Gregory Cummins Stand and Deliver – Tom Richmond Talk Radio – Robert RichardsonWings of Desire • West Germany Bagdad Cafe • West Germany The Kitchen Toto • UK A World Apart • UK Yeelen • Mali

Films with multiple nominations and awards

Films that received multiple nominations

NominationsFilm
7Stand and Deliver
6Hairspray
5Patti Rocks
3Five Corners
The Moderns
The Prince of Pennsylvania
Talk Radio
The Wash
2Mystic Pizza
The Thin Blue Line
Torch Song Trilogy

Films that won multiple awards

AwardsFilm
6Stand and Deliver

Special awards

Friends of Independence Award

  • The National Coalition of Independent Public Broadcasting Producers

External links