Christian Bau, born in 1942, completed an apprenticeship as a photographer and began studying film with Wolfgang Ramsbott at the HfBK (the University of Fine Arts of Hamburg) in the first film class to emerge in the Federal Republic of Germany. In addition to the noted Lichtwark scholarship in Hamburg (1968) Christian Bau was also offered a DAAD scholarship in London. After graduating in 1969 he worked together with the German directors Robert van Ackeren and Werner Nekes amongst others and belonged to the pioneers of the "Other Cinema" in Germany.

Together with other documentary filmmakers Christian Bau founded the film cooperative "die thede" in Hamburg in 1980 and has completed his documentary film projects there ever since. As a producer he also supervises external film projects. The production company "thede filmproduktion" was founded in 1999. His film "Maschinensturm", about the conflict between men and machines, was nominated for the German Film Critics Award in 1987.

Christian Bau"s documentary "Zwiebelfische – Jimmy Ernst, Glückstadt – New York" ("In the Boondocks") is released together with a book in the autumn of 2010.