Underjordiskt sällskap (Underground Company)
Guillermo Alvarez, Sweden 1979, 30 min., OV with English subtitles. Language: Swedish

Hägringen (The Mirage)
Guillermo Alvarez, Sweden 1981, 38 min., OV with English subtitles. Languages: Swedish, Spanish

Due to an increasing frustration with opportunities for filmmaking, Guillermo Alvarez decided to set up his own co-op, Cinecooperativo, or Cineco. Alvarez had a background in street theater but had only attended a few courses in filmmaking in Sweden while working in the subway or as a bus driver. Underjordiskt sällskap was the first production of the co-op and finalized with support from the Stockholm film workshop. It is a documentary about the Stockholm subway as the space that constitutes the actual meeting place between Swedes and immigrants. To be able to meet on equal terms, you have to go underground. Hägringen was Cineco’s second and last production and is a sinister story about an immigrant who becomes increasingly displaced in Sweden whilst witnessing how the Swedes colonize the ongoing political struggle back at home in Latin-America. Cineco managed to sell Underjordiskt sällskap to Swedish Television but not Hägringen because it was considered as depicting immigrants in an overly negative manner.