{"id":108790,"date":"2026-01-22T17:36:52","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T17:36:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/108790\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T17:36:52","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T17:36:52","slug":"new-documentary-on-legendary-bronx-graffiti-group-tats-cru-shows-in-south-bronx-bronx-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/108790\/","title":{"rendered":"New documentary on legendary Bronx graffiti group TATS CRU shows in South Bronx \u2013 Bronx Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Screenshot\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\u201cSpray Can Stories: TATS CRU\u201d screened at Sankofa Haus on Sunday after showings at several other locations in NYC.<\/p>\n

Photo by Surina Venkat<\/p>\n

\t\t Search our comprehensive guide to things to do in the Bronx<\/a> for more local events \u2014 or submit your own<\/a>!<\/p>\n

A new documentary covering the renowned Bronx graffiti artist group TATS CRU<\/a> screened in the South Bronx on Sunday night \u2014 the film\u2019s final showing after screenings at several locations across New York City.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpray Can Stories: TATS CRU\u201d premiered at Sankofa Haus<\/a>, an event venue in Mott Haven. Featuring interviews with members Sotero \u201cBG183\u201d Ortiz and Hector \u201cNicer\u201d Nazario, the 38-minute documentary describes the group\u2019s start and rise to prominence \u2014 from painting mom-and-pop stores and memorial walls to working on corporate campaigns<\/a> for Coca Cola and creating hip hop inspired jerseys<\/a> for the NBA.<\/p>\n

\u201cSurprisingly, as big as they are in the Bronx, I didn\u2019t know about them,\u201d Emmitt Thrower, the director and producer of the film and CEO and founder of Wabisabi Productions, told the Bronx Times. \u201cNeither did a lot of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thrower first interviewed Ortiz and Nazario in 2023 for a project he was working on celebrating 50 years of hip-hop. His interviews with the two men were so striking that he later researched more about the group \u2014 which includes founding member Wilfredo \u201cBio\u201d Feliciano<\/a> \u2014 and decided to create a documentary about them.<\/p>\n

After receiving a $45,000 grant from the Bronx Council of the Arts in 2025, Thrower threw himself into finishing the short film, even spending some of his own money to finish production. \u201cI wanted to do a really good job telling the story,\u201d Thrower said.<\/p>\n

\"\"A still from \u201cSpray Can Stories: TATS CRU\u201d depicting children playing with a fire hydrant. Photo Courtesy: Emmitt Thrower\/Wabisabi Productions<\/p>\n

In interviews with Thrower, both Ortiz and Nazario described how they became interested in graffiti art. Ortiz recalled how he and his friends used to go \u201cbombing\u201d \u2014 a term used by graffiti artists that refers to quickly tagging or throwing art up in highly-visible areas. Nazario remembered skipping school with his friends to look at graffiti art in the subways.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was something that was devised by poor kids in the hood [that] said, \u2018We\u2019re going to do something,\u2019\u201d Nazario said. \u201cBut we did it for ourselves, our own attention. We didn\u2019t do it for the attention of the masses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both men credited their work \u2014 and graffiti culture \u2014 as having been heavily influenced by hip hop, which emerged<\/a> in the South Bronx in the 1970s.<\/p>\n

TATS CRU\u2019s rise in popularity was far from smooth \u2014 as Ortiz noted, the media had been \u201crough\u201d on them as graffiti became criminalized<\/a> in the 1990s \u2014 but the group now enjoys international acclaim.<\/p>\n

\"\"Hector \u201cNicer\u201d Nazario chats with the team behind \u201cSpray Can Stories: TATS CRU\u201d in an interview. Photo Courtesy: Emmitt Thrower\/Wabisabi Productions<\/p>\n

Even with all the attention, TATS CRU remains a local force in the Bronx. Their works have featured in public spaces<\/a> across the borough and attractions such as the Bronx Zoo<\/a>. Most recently, the group helped design murals<\/a> at the Bronx River Houses, honoring its earlier contributions to hip-hop culture. They also still paint memorial walls<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bronx World Film, an organization dedicated to promoting art house cinema that helps promote local filmmakers, helped organize screenings of \u201cSpray Can Stories: TATS CRU\u201d in collaboration with Wabisabi Productions. Walter Krochmal, its founder and executive director, said it was an honor to be involved in showcasing the film to audiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cA film like \u2018Spray Can Stories\u2019 is extremely timely,\u201d Krochmal said. He added that the film \u201cfulfills everything this organization was created for\u201d \u2014 which includes supporting \u201cbackyard\u201d talent and community stories.<\/p>\n

He first learned about TATS CRU while out biking through the borough. \u201cI would see TATS CRU murals all over the place, abandoned places, places you would never expect to see,\u201d he said. He hopes that viewers of the documentary leave showings with more of an understanding of the art form and the groups behind it.<\/p>\n

\"\"Bronx World Film helped coordinate showings of the TATS CRU documentary. Photo courtesy Walter Krochmal<\/p>\n

Barbara Johnson-Thrower, a producer on the film and vice president of Wabisabi Productions alongside her husband, said that creating the documentary has inspired them to do a series of films on other graffiti artists.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so many other graffiti writers that have different stories, other than BG183 and Nicer,\u201d Johnson-Thrower said. Now, when she sees graffiti art, she always wonders about the artist behind it. \u201cEveryone has a story, and I\u2019m looking forward to hearing it.<\/p>\n

Surina Venkat is a contributing writer at the Bronx Times and a student at Columbia University. She can be reached at\u00a0surinavenkat@gmail.com<\/a>.\u00a0For more coverage, subscribe to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram!<\/a><\/p>\n

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