Warwick Thornton's period western Sweet Country and Rachel Perkins' outback cop drama Mystery Road have taken home major awards at the AACTA Awards Industry Luncheon in Sydney, putting Indigenous stories and storytellers front and centre in the lead-up to Wednesday's main AACTA Awards ceremony.

Sweet Country won Best Original Screenplay (Steven McGregor and David Tranter), Best Cinematography (for Thornton, who also directed) and Best Editing (Nick Meyers) in the film category.

ABC's six-part drama Mystery Road, based on Ivan Sen's films Mystery Road and Goldstone, and directed by Perkins, won Best Original Music Score and Best Editing for a TV series.

Scroll down for full list of winners

In Sweet Country, Aboriginal stockman Sam (played by Hamilton Morris) kills a white settler in self-defence and is taken into custody. ( Supplied: Bunya Productions )

Both Sweet Country and Mystery Road come out of Bunya Productions, capping off a bumper year for the company, which recently won Breakthrough Business of the Year at the Screen Producers Australia Awards.

Bunya was founded by producer David Jowsey and filmmaker Ivan Sen in 2009, later joined by Greer Simpkin (from the ABC). In 2019, they welcome Sophia Zachariou (also ex-ABC) in the newly-created role of CEO, overseeing a slate that includes the second series of Mystery Road, Leah Purcell's period drama The Drover's Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson, and Sen's feature Loveland.

And there's still the chance for more glory in 2018: Sweet Country is in contention for the Best Film, Director, Lead Actor (Hamilton Morris), and Supporting Actress (Natassia Gorey-Furber) at Wednesday's AACTA Awards Ceremony.

Mystery Road is in contention for Best Drama Series, Actor (Aaron Pedersen), Actress (Judy Davis), Supporting Actor (Wayne Blair) and Supporting Actress (Deborah Mailman and Tasma Walton).

Benjamin Gilmour's drama Jirga follows a former Australian soldier who returns to Afghanistan to settle unfinished business. ( Supplied: Footprint Films )

Other key film winners from Monday's award ceremony were Bruce Beresford's period drama Ladies in Black, which took home Best Original Music Score for film, Best Costume Design and Best Hair and Makeup; Jennifer Peedom's documentary feature Mountain, which won Best Cinematography, Best Original Score and Best Sound for documentary; and Benjamin Gilmour's Afghanistan-set independent drama Jirga, winning Best Indie Film.

In television, the six-part series Picnic at Hanging Rock cleaned up, taking home the Best Cinematography, Best Production Design and Best Costume Design awards.

Madeleine Madden, Samara Weaving and Lily Sullivan star in Foxtel's re-imagining of Joan Lindsay's Picnic at Hanging Rock. ( Supplied: Foxtel/FremantleMedia )

A different creative model

The Monday AACTA ceremony was mainly focused on craft and technical awards.

Producer David Jowsey, speaking to the ABC's Michaela Boland after Bunya's wins, said: "Really as a production company you're only as good as the team you can assemble around you, and if you get the best people you've got every chance of making a terrific program."

He said Bunya Productions took a different approach to its creative team than the screen industry generally.

"There is a model for the film industry, which is a top-down hierarchy all the way, which I think is really interesting [in terms of] the psychology of creative endeavour," he said.

"Often you need to inspire people to do their best work … We have a real mandate and philosophy of empowering and encouraging people to do their best work [and] it seems to have paid off … and people like to work with us because of that."

Alyawarra man and filmmaker David Tranter (left, with Steven McGregor) heard the stories that inspired Sweet Country from his grandfather. ( Supplied: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images for AFI )

Still a sausage party?

This year marks the eighth AACTA Awards and the 60th anniversary for the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (previously known as the Australian Film Institute).

Last year's award ceremony took place in the shadow of the #MeToo movement. Just days before the ceremony, Geoffrey Rush stepped down from his role as president of the body, following newspaper coverage alleging "inappropriate behaviour".

The year before, protestors dressed as sausages stole the red carpet, calling for an end to gender imbalance in the Australian film industry.

So far, this year's AACTA Awards appear to have a significant gender imbalance, with 44 male practitioners awarded compared to 25 female.

The AACTA Awards Ceremony takes place Wednesday December 5 at The Star.

Full list of Monday awards

Feature film:

AACTA Award for Best Indie Film

Jirga: Benjamin Gilmour (Dir), John Maynard - Felix Media Pty Ltd

AACTA Award for Best Original Screenplay

Sweet Country: David Tranter, Steven McGregor - Bunya Productions

AACTA Award for Best Cinematography

Sweet Country: Warwick Thornton - Bunya Productions

AACTA Award for Best Editing

Sweet Country: Nick Meyers - Bunya Productions

AACTA Award for Best Sound

Breath: Robert Mackenzie, Trevor Hope, Jed Dodge, Tara Webb - Gran Via, Windalong Films & See Pictures

AACTA Award for Best Original Music Score

Ladies in Black: Christopher Gordon - Lumila Films

AACTA Award for Best Production Design

Peter Rabbit: Roger Ford, Lisa Thompson - Animal Logic Entertainment & Olive Bridge Entertainment

AACTA Award for Best Costume Design

Ladies in Black: Christopher Gordon - Lumila Films

Television:

AACTA Award for Best Comedy Program

The Letdown: Julian Morrow, Sarah Scheller, Alison Bell - ABC/Giant Dwarf

AACTA Award for Best Children's Program

The Bureau of Magical Things: Jonathan M. Shiff, Stuart Wood - Eleven/Jonathan M. Shiff Productions

AACTA Award for Best Direction in a Television Drama or Comedy

Safe Harbour Episode 1: Glendyn Ivin - SBS/Matchbox Pictures

AACTA Award for Best Direction in Nonfiction Television

Hawke: The Larrikin and The Leader Episode 1 - The Apprenticeship: Bruce Permezel - ABC/Southern Pictures

AACTA Award for Best Screenplay in Television

Safe Harbour Episode 1: Belinda Chayko - SBS/Matchbox Pictures

AACTA Award for Best Cinematography in Television

Picnic at Hanging Rock Episode 1: Garry Phillips - Foxtel/Showcase/FremantleMedia Australia

AACTA Award for Best Editing in Television

Mystery Road Episode 5 - The Waterhole: Deborah Peart - ABC/Bunya Productions

AACTA Award for Best Sound in Television

Romper Stomper Episode 3: Greg Burgmann, Frank Lipson, Andrew McGrath - Stan/Roadshow Rough Diamond

AACTA Award for Best Original Music Score in Television

Mystery Road Episode 4 - Silence: Antony Partos, Matteo Zingales - ABC/Bunya Productions

AACTA Award for Best Production Design in Television

Picnic at Hanging Rock Episode 1: Jo Ford - Foxtel/Showcase/FremantleMedia Australia

AACTA Award for Best Costume Design in Television

Picnic at Hanging Rock Episode 1: Edie Kurzer - Foxtel/Showcase/FremantleMedia Australia

Documentary:

AACTA Award for Best Documentary or Factual Program

Employable Me: Karina Holden, Sue Clothier, Jenni Wilks - ABC/Northern Pictures

AACTA Award for Best Cinematography in a Documentary

Mountain: Renan Ozturk - Stranger Than Fiction Films Pty Ltd

AACTA Award for Best Editing in a Documentary

Ghosthunter: Karen Johnson - Ghosthunter One

AACTA Award for Best Sound in a Documentary

Mountain: David White, Robert Mackenzie - Stranger Than Fiction Films Pty Ltd

AACTA Award for Best Original Music Score in a Documentary

Mountain: Richard Tognetti - Stranger Than Fiction Films Pty Ltd

Casting:

AACTA Award for Best Casting

Riot: Allison Meadows - ABC/Werner Film Productions

Online video or series:

AACTA Award for Best Online Video or Series

Deadlock: Fiona Eagger, Deb Cox, Belinda Mravicic, Billie Pleffer - Every Cloud Productions

Visual effects or animation:

AACTA Award for Best Visual Effects or Animation

Peter Rabbit: Will Reichelt, Simon Whiteley, Simon Pickard, Peter Stubbs, Jason Bath, Brian Lynch, Matt Middleton - Animal Logic

Hair and makeup:

AACTA Award for Best Hair and Makeup

Ladies in Black: Jen Lamphee, Anna Gray, Beth Halsted - Lumila Films

Subscription Television:

AACTA Subscription Television Award for Best Male Presenter

Andrew Winter for Love It or List It Australia, Selling Houses Australia - Foxtel/Lifestyle/Beyond Productions

AACTA Subscription Television Award for Best Female Presenter

Shaynna Blaze for Selling Houses Australia - Foxtel/Lifestyle/Beyond Productions

AACTA Subscription Television Award for Best New Talent

Scott Ryan for Mr Inbetween - Foxtel/Showcase/Blue-Tongue Films and Jungle Entertainment

AACTA Subscription Television Award for Best Live Event Production

Sky News Leadership Spill: David Speers, Kieran Gilbert, Laura Jayes - Foxtel/Sky News/Sky News

AACTA Subscription Television Award for Best Sports Presentation

Finals Footy on Fox: Richmond V Collingwood: Ben Roberts, Zach Larkins, Leigh Carlson, Michael Neill - Foxtel/Fox Sports/ Fox Sports Australia Pty Ltd

Short films:

AACTA Award for Best Short Fiction Film

All These Creatures: Charles Williams, Elise Trenorden - Simpatico Film Pty Ltd

AACTA Award for Best Short Animation

Lost & Found: Lucy Hayes, Andrew Goldsmith, Bradley Slabe - Wabi Sabi Studios