It was established in 1950 to handle the release of films produced by DEFA, the state-controlled production outfit of communist East Germany.

Since 2019, PROGRESS has been digitizing and making accessible the complete holdings of DEFA as well as a growing number of international collections by other archives which are being made available to the public on a historically curated platform.

PROGRESS took over this role in the early 1950s from Sovexport, a Soviet-controlled company which operated during the period following the Battle of Berlin in 1945 and the Allied Occupation of Germany.

[6] In addition, PROGRESS evaluates film materials from ministries, parties and authorities as well as other collections on behalf of the federal government.

[7] In total, PROGRESS' holdings include 25,000 films and recordings from around the world, from the beginning of the 20th century to the present (as of January 2021).