Calling filmmaker Oliver Schmitz, wherever he is!

It seems the veteran is the only one capable of charming the French.

Though South African actors and filmmakers walked off with a decent nine awards at Sunday night's Africa Movie Academy Awards, in Lagos, Nigeria - no South African film was named as part of the upcoming 64th Cannes Film Festival's official selection, which was announced at the weekend.

Last year, Oliver Hermanus's Skoonheid was included in the Un Certain Regard category of the festival.

Films including Life, Above All, Hijack Stories and Mapantsula were all directed by Schmitz and have all previously been selected for screening at the prestigious festival on the French Riviera.

In the build-up to the Africa awards, the focus was on Sara Blecher's Otelo Burning, which received the most nominations (13), but her countryman Charlie Vundla and his debut feature How 2 Steal 2 Million (11 nominations) pipped Blecher and a slew of other directors to the best director and best film gongs.

Blecher, who was grounded in South Africa after failing to get a visa, said yesterday: "I think we really thought we would get more, but I'm thrilled for Tshepang [Mohlomi] and Lance [Gewer] - I think they're really great.

"I'm so thrilled for everyone who won."

Mohlomi (who played Ntwe) won the 2012 prize for best child actor, and Gewer, the film's director of photography, picked up the prize for achievement in cinematography.

The 27-year-old Vundla's thriller How 2 Steal 2 Million also saw Oscar-winning actress Terry Pheto walk away with the prize for best actress in a supporting role, and a prize for achievement in editing.

The Khalo Matabane-directed State of Violence (featuring Presley Chweneyagae, Fana Mokoena, Vusi Kunene, Neo Ntlatleng and Harriet Manamela) won two awards - for best film in an African language, and for achievement in sound.

Rosie Motene and Akin Omotosos's Man on Ground - a co-production between Nigeria and South Africa - won two awards, including the special jury prize.

Mokoena, who won the prize for best actor in a supporting role, tweeted on Sunday night: "I gather from these tweets that I won best actor in a supporting role for Man on Ground at the AMAAs in Lagos. Aaah! I'm overwhelmed. Truly".

Locally, Indigenous Film Distribution - which distributes South African and African films globally - bought, distributed and marketed How 2 Steal 2 Million, Otelo Burning and State of Violence.

The three films picked up eight wins.