<<< 3rd Independent Spirit Awards (1988) >>>

Best Feature

	River's Edge
	The Big Easy
	The Dead
	Matewan
	Swimming to Cambodia
	Tough Guys Don't Dance

Best Director

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

Best Male Lead

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

Best Female Lead

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

Best Supporting Male

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

Best Supporting Female

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

Best Screenplay

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

Best Cinematography

	Matewan - Haskell Wexler
	Barfly - Robby Müller
	The Dead - Fred Murphy
	Slam Dance - Amir Mokri
	Tough Guys Don't Dance - John Bailey

Best International Film

	My Life as a Dog • Sweden
	Au revoir les enfants • France / West Germany
	Hope and Glory • United Kingdom
	Prick Up Your Ears • United Kingdom
	Tampopo • Japan

Best First Feature

	Dirty Dancing - Emile Ardolino
	Anna - Yurek Bogayevicz
	Hollywood Shuffle - Robert Townsend
	Siesta - Mary Lambert
	Waiting for the Moon - Jill Godmilow