Following a decade long apprenticeship as a renowned shorts director, Jens Jonsson has effortlessly graduated to features with his debut, The King of Ping Pong.

Not many first-time directors earn a nomination for the Tiger Award at Rotterdam, never mind scoop a Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in the World Cinema - Drama category.

Quite beside having perhaps the best title at this year's Festival - it sounds even more lyrical in the native Swedish, Ping-Pongkingen - this is a black comedy with darker elements of drama which is set to win over audiences worldwide.

The story centres around a pair of brothers in snow-bound northern Sweden. The rotund Rille is introspective and a table tennis champ at the local youth club, while the younger sibling Eric is lithe and outgoing.

The pair live at home with their mother, pining for their often absent alcoholic father, and the boys struggle with their mother's growing relationship with the local sports shop owner.

The acting is terrific across the board, and the widecreen cinematography of the white wastelands of northern Sweden is simply stunning.

Almost equal parts Napoleon Dynamite and My Life as a Dog, The King of Ping Pong is a debut which easily justifies the buzz it has generated on the festival circuit.

Director Jonsson is undoubtedly a talent to watch, so make sure you don't miss his remarkable debut feature at EIFF.

The King of Ping Pong is screening on 22 and 24 June at Cineworld.