Robert Krieg was born in Bad Ems in the German Federal Republic in 1949. He studied sociology, journalism and ethnology. From 1976 till 1983 he was mainly working in academic research and teaching. Then he began dealing with documentary filmmaking. In addition to working as film-maker and being active in film-politics, he taught at the International School for Cinema and Television in Cuba. From 1991 till 1996 he was, on behalf of the EU and the German Ministry of Development Aid, head of the study program for the installation of a Palestinian broadcasting service in Jerusalem and Ramallah.