There are two big festivals of independent games each year -- the Sundance equivalents for games. They are the Independent Games Festival (IGF) and IndieCade. The nominees for the Independent Game Festival Awards 2014 have been announced.
Current DANM student, Deirdra "Squinky" Kiai's game "Dominique Pamplemousse" has been named a finalist in *four* categories!
Seumas McNally Grand Prize
Excellence in Audio
Excellence in Narrative
Nuovo Award
Dominique Pamplemousse in “It’s All Over Once The Fat Lady Sings!” is a unique and offbeat stop motion animated detective adventure game about gender and the economy. Also, all the characters frequently burst into song. Watch the trailer.