6th AVN Awards
The 6th AVN Awards ceremony, organized by Adult Video News, took place on January 9, 1989, at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Paradise, Nevada. During the ceremony, AVN Awards were presented in 41 categories, plus several extra awards, honoring pornographic films released between January 1, 1988, and December 31, 1988.
Cat Woman, a shot-on-video feature, won the most awards, with five, while Best Film went to Pretty Peaches II, which won four awards.
Winners and nominees
The nominees for the 6th AVN Awards were announced in the January 1989 issue of Adult Video News magazine. Three movies, Amanda by Night II, Portrait of an Affair and Pretty Peaches II, each had 10 nominations, the most for the year.The winners were announced during the awards ceremony on January 9, 1989.
Awards
Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger.| Best Feature Film | Best Shot-on-Video Feature |
Pretty Peaches II
| Cat Woman |
| Best New Starlet | Best Actor—Gay Video |
| Aja | Kevin Glover, The Next Valentino |
| Best Actor—Feature Film | Best Actress—Feature Film |
| Robert Bullock, Portrait of an Affair | Ona Zee, Portrait of an Affair |
| Best Actor—Shot-on-Video Feature | Best Actress—Shot-on-Video Feature |
| Jon Martin, Case of the Sensuous Sinners | Barbara Dare, Naked Stranger |
| Best Supporting Actor—Feature Film | Best Supporting Actress—Feature Film |
| Jamie Gillis, Pretty Peaches II | Nina Hartley, Portrait of an Affair |
| Best Supporting Actor—Shot-on-Video Feature | Best Supporting Actress—Shot-on-Video Feature |
| Richard Pacheco, Sensual Escape | Jacqueline Lorians, Beauty and the Beast |
| Best Director—Feature Film | Best Director—Shot-on-Video Feature |
| Alex de Renzy, Pretty Peaches II | John Leslie, Cat Woman |
| Best Director—Bisexual Video | Best Director—Gay Video |
| Paul Norman, Bi and Beyond | Jim West, The Next Valentino |
| Best All-Sex Video | Best Compilation Tape |
| Angel Puss | Only the Best of Men's and Women's Fantasies |
| Best Foreign Release | Best Specialty Tape |
| Devil in Mr. Holmes | Loose Ends IV |
| Best Softcore Film | Best Made-for-Video Softcore Release |
| Erotic Dreams | Playboy Playmate Calendar—1989 |
| Best Bisexual Video | Best Gay Video |
| Bi and Beyond | Touch Me |
| Best Featurette Tape | Best Selling/Renting Adult Tapes of the Year |
| Star Director's Series—Sensual Escape | Plaques were awarded for Best Selling Adult Tape of the Year to Miami Spice II and for Best Renting Adult Tapes of the Year to Devil in Mr. Holmes. |
| Best Non-Sexual Performance | Best Sex Scene—Feature Film |
Jose Duval, Pillowman
| Nina Hartley, Herschel Savage; Amanda by Night II |
| Best Sex Scene—Shot-on-Video Feature | Best Sex Scene—Shot-on-Video Feature |
| Nina Hartley, Richard Pacheco; Sensual Escape | Aja, Dana Lynn, Lisa Bright, Blake Palmer, Joey Silvera; Seance/orgy scene, Ghostess with the Mostess |
| Best Screenplay—Feature Film | Best Screenplay—Shot-on-video Feature |
| Harold Lime, Amanda by Night II | Mark Weiss, John Leslie; Cat Woman |
| Best Art Direction | Best Musical Score |
| Maxine | Taboo VI |
| Best Film Editing | Best Video Editing |
| Alex de Renzy, Pretty Peaches II | John Leslie, Cat Woman |
| Best Cinematography | Best Videography |
| Mr. Ed, Miami Spice II | Jack Remy, Cat Woman |
| Best Boxcover Concept | Best Overall Marketing Campaign |
| Screwdriver, Coast to Coast Video | Hawaii Vice, CDI Home Video |
| Best Packaging | Best Packaging—Gay Vide |
| Broadway Brat, Vivid Video | In the Raw, In Hand Video |
Honorary AVN Awards
Special Achievement Award
AVN Special Achievement Awards were given to three industry members for their legal battles:- Marty Rothstein of Model Distributors
- Steve Touchin of Bijou Video
- Hal Freeman of Hollywood Video
Hall of Fame
AVN Hall of Fame inductees for 1989 were: Annette Haven, Tracey Adams, Nina Hartley, Sharon Mitchell, Amber Lynn, Paul Thomas, Alex de Renzy, Henri Pachard. They were all nominated by the readership of Adult Video News magazine.Multiple nominations and awards
The following movies received the most nominations:| Nominations | Film |
| 10 | Amanda by Night II |
| 10 | Portrait of an Affair |
| 10 | Pretty Peaches II |
| 9 | Miami Spice II |
| 8 | Addicted to Love |
| 8 | Sensual Escape |
| 7 | Cat Woman |
| 7 | Dreams in the Forbidden Zone |
| 7 | Raw Talent III |
| 7 | Sinners |
| 7 | Taboo VI |
| 6 | Case of the Sensuous Sinners |
| 6 | Deep Inside Trading |
| 6 | Ghostess with the Mostess |
| 6 | Maxine |
| 4 | Hawaii Vice |
| 4 | Pillowman |
The following nine movies received multiple awards:
| Awards | Film |
| 5 | Cat Woman |
| 4 | Pretty Peaches II |
| 3 | Portrait of an Affair |
| 3 | Sensual Escape |
| 2 | Amanda by Night II |
| 2 | Bi and Beyond |
| 2 | Devil in Mr. Holmes |
| 2 | Miami Spice II |
| 2 | The Next Valentino |
Presenters and performers
The following individuals presented awards or performed musical numbers.Presenters
Among those presenting awards were: Samantha Strong, Angel Kelly, Tom Steele, Megan Leigh and Jerry Butler.Performers
Actor John Leslie opened the show by singing and playing harmonica. The Moonlight Entertainers were the live band during the show.Ceremony information
This was the fourth live AVN awards show, and at the time, was the last show still known as the "AVNA Awards" show. It was also the first one that charged admission, with profits going to the Adult Video Association for a legal cause. The event ran 110 minutes.Hustler magazine said, “The ceremony itself is every bit as tedious as these things have the potential to be.”
Plaques were awarded for Best Selling Adult Tape of the Year to Miami Spice II and for Best Renting Adult Tape of the Year to Devil in Mr. Holmes.