Roberto Andò was born in Palermo. His mentor was Leonardo Sciascia who encouraged him to write. Then he became an assistant to Federico Fellini and Francesco  Rosi. In 1995 Roberto presented his first film Diario senza date at Venezia. He won thel David Donatello and Nastro d’argento for Best Screenplay for Viva la libertà.

Regarding his film, Andò stated: "Criminal organizations exacerbate two characteristics of families, especially those that fall within the most archaic tradition of the South: the sense of ownership over their relatives and the obligation to respect a common code. In this film, the tragedy is triggered because on the one hand there is he is a father who has to submit to the organization's request to hand over his child, guilty of an unforgivable mistake, on the other hand there is the mother who would like to save him. .