A dramatic turn as a sharp-witted mother of three who is cheated on by her husband in the mini-series The Beautiful Lie has won the star of Utopia and Rosehaven best guest or supporting actress in a television drama at the first instalment of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards in Sydney.

"I love this production so hard and the fact that I got anywhere near it is insanity to me," she said after one of the most popular wins at the craft awards. "This job was a dream."

Just as for Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting, Jim Carrey​ in The Truman Show and Whoopi Goldberg in The Colour Purple, it's a role that revealed a surprising depth to Pacquola's acting.

"I really, really wanted to try," she said of taking on the role in the re-imagining of Anna Karenina for the ABC mini-series. "I loved the character so much I made my agent call the casting people and say 'tell them that I actually have been cheated on in my real life so I can bring that to the character. I can do this please give me a shot.'"

But Pacquola admitted playing a mother of three children was challenging, saying: "They liked their fake dad [played by Daniel Henshall​] more than they like their fake mum."

The craft lunch was hosted by comics Kitty Flanagan and Tom Gleeson, with the host of Hard Quiz joking that they were the "B awards" and drawing uncomfortable laughter with a joke about Mel Gibson's return to directing: "Hacksaw Ridge has been nominated 13 times so it's safe to say that in Australia the film industry isn't run by Jews."

The craft awards were an early triumph for Hacksaw Ridge, which is favourite to win best film and director at the main awards on Wednesday night. The war hero drama won four trophies – best cinematography, editing, production design and sound.

Best adapted screenplay surprisingly went to Simon Stone for the timber town drama The Daughter, with Antony Partos winning best score for the Vanuatu tribal romance Tanna and Jonathon Oxlade​ best costume design for the quirky coming-of-age film Girl Asleep.

Best television documentary went to the ABC's Hitting Home, Sarah Ferguson's two-part investigation into the hidden issue of domestic violence in Australia.

Best visual effects or animation by an Australian company went to a team from visual effects company Iloura for Game of Thrones: Battle of the Bastards, the spectacular 20-minute scene from season six.

Patrick Brammall won best performance in a television comedy for playing a detective in No Activity on Stan, with best guest or supporting actor in a television drama going to Damon Herriman, who was a transgender spy in Secret City on Foxtel's Showcase.

Oscar Wilde's The Nightingale and the Rose won best short animation, with best short film film going to Dream Baby.

In the subscription television categories, Maggie Beer won best female presenter for The Great Australian Bake-off with Stan Grant wining best male presenter for Crimes That Shook Australia.

The main AACTA Awards are on Wednesday, broadcast on the Seven Network at 8.30pm.