The first thing that drew my attention about Carlos Von Son was his enthusiasm. No matter what this 52-year-old teacher talks about, you notice his passion, his youthful energy.

The tone of his voice jumped excitedly when he talked about his students, his books, his friends, his family.

Then you're taken by his generosity. We had just met, and he was already planning a dinner in my honor.

“What do you prefer, almonds or sesame?”

It seemed like a trick question. What's the correct answer? Then he explained that he planned to cook a special dinner: Costa Rican shark, prepared with almonds or sesame seeds.

I got the impression I was with a person who celebrated his birthday every day. I waited for him outside his advanced Spanish class at Palomar College. From the classroom streamed out the happy rhythms of a Juan Luis Guerra merengue. Was that a class going on in there or a party?

It was a class in the style of Carlos Von Son.

Carlos wanted to talk about his movie “Ofrenda desnuda” (Naked Offering), which he produced with his brother, actor Alejandro “Art” Von Son, whose recent credits include work on Tommy Lee Jones' new movie, “The Three Burials of Melquiades Ochoa.”

The cast was made up of beginning actors, students that Carlos had brought together some years ago to form the Dionisio Troupe at Palomar College. After several presentations of a play he had written, the group decided to turn it into a feature-length film.

Under the direction of Art Von Son, the Spanish-language movie was filmed in San Marcos, Tijuana and the Anza-Borrego desert. It's the story of a man who crosses the border into the United States in search of a better life, bringing with him the sadness of his wife's recent death.

The result is a mix of drama and comedy that won Art an award for best director at the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival last month.

For Carlos, the work done by the college students, all between 19 and 26 years old, was nothing short of “heroic.” They were motivated by a genuine love for acting, he tells me, and received no pay or school credit.

I talked about that and many other things with sisters Diana and Nadia Cabuto, 22 and 23, and with Amílcar Chávcez, 26, a native of El Salvador who is studying to become a teacher.

Diana is the production's leading lady. She is from Mexicali and dreams of acting professionally one day. The sisters play rival prostitutes in the film, which resulted in a fun and exciting experience for them, considering they shot some scenes in Tijuana's red-light district.

Carlos Von Son lived near Mexico City when in 1982, he suffered a hunting accident that would change his life. A bullet to the back put him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

He had studied for a career in agriculture but felt drawn to art and literature. He tried to continue his studies, but Mexican universities were not set up to accommodate disabled students.

That's how he decided to come to the United States in 1986 and study for a doctorate in Latin American literature at San Diego State University.

He now lives in a house in San Marcos he has decorated in a very Mexican style, with intense colors, arches and murals.

After an exquisite plate of Costa Rican shark, with almonds, and some delicious mashed potatoes (legendary among his students), the host and guests got down to various Mexican traditions: after-dinner conversation, a bottle of tequila and a game of dominos.

Earlier that day, I had left my house in search of a story to write. That night, with a full belly and a happy heart, I came home secure in the knowledge I had found much more than that – the priceless friendship of some young students and a sage teacher I hope to see again soon.