SAN DIEGO -- Osvaldo "Ozzie" Virgil made history 50 years ago when he became the first player from the Dominican Republic to play in the Major Leagues.

Thanks to film makers Rob Ruck and Dan Manatt, he is reliving it.

"I just want players to remember where they come from and represent their country at all times," Virgil said. "I see the stars of today and I think of how easy they have it and how hard it was for us. They get millions, we got pennies. They get the things put in their hands and we had to fight for everything we had. They need a history lesson."

Here's their chance.

"The Republic of Baseball: Dominican Giants of the American Game," a moving 90-minute documentary by Ruck and Manatt, is the complex story about the first generation of baseball players from the Dominican Republic, examining why the sport remains important to the country and why baseball players from the island are so good. In addition to Virgil's experience, the film also follows the lives of the Alou brothers -- Felipe, Matty and Jesus -- along with the lives of Manny Mota and Hall of Famer pitcher Juan Marichal.

The 1962 World Series and the San Francisco Giants club that featured the Alou's, Marichal, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda is also explored during the documentary. Interviews with Pedro Martinez, Vladimir Guerrero, Miguel Tejada and Alex Rodriguez are also part of the film.

"Baseball, prior to Jackie Robinson, played a great role in bringing people together, providing societies that were fractured by class and other things into cohesion," Ruck said. "Baseball gave a group of people who had limited political opportunity, limited educational opportunity, and limited opportunities in the workplace the opportunity to show how good they were when they had the chance. The grace, the confidence and the excellence emerges out of that context -- all when it was not about money. You see in these men why sport is so good and why a generation of ballplayers owes a debt to them."

Virgil, Marichal, Matty Alou, Jesus Alou, and Jose Mota -- the son of Manny Mota -- were all present for the premiere during the San Diego Latino Film Festival on Sunday. The documentary will also be screened in San Francisco and the Dominican Republic this year with the DVD available at the end of next year.

A question and answer session followed Sunday's screening.

"It was not hard to make this film because their lives are so extraordinary," Manatt said. "The movie made itself and I hope in this special year for baseball in the Dominican Republic, people see this. That's what our goal is, to get as many people to see this as possible. It's not about festivals or prizes, it's about the story and a way to learn about history."

Mota, who also played a role in the making of the film, was visibly moved after the screening of his father's story. He praised Ruck and Manatt, then honored the Dominican legends with a few kind words.

"This is so emotional because it brings back a lot of memories of my dad's stories and going to the ballpark as a little kid to watch Juan take the mound," Mota said. "It was like a holiday in the Dominican when he pitched because everything stopped. I hope we can continue to educate guys now and in the future about where it all came from."

"The Republic of Baseball: Dominican Giants of the American Game" is based on Ruck's book, "The Tropic of Baseball: Baseball in the Dominican Republic," Marichal's "A Pitcher's Story" and Felipe Alou's "My Life and Baseball."

"It's very humbling to have been a part of something like this," Ruck said. "The power of this documentary all derives from these individuals, their country and that culture of baseball. It was privilege to be allowed to take part of it."