The photo archive documents a wide variety of film and cinema activities belonging to film history. Pictures of international festivals – such as the Leipzig Week of Documentary and Short Films or the film festivals in Karlovy Vary and Moscow – as well as of specialised film events, series and premieres can be found.

A comprehensive and unique photographic account of almost 100 years of (Neu-)Babelsberg studio history is available. It documents the early years with, e.g., pictures of the "glass studio", which was first used for the Bioscop production "Dance of the Dead", the first part of the Asta Nielsen series. The studio′s rise to prominence during the Ufa period of the 1920s and 1930s is illustrated with pictures of the "large studio", the Tonkreuz and the plans for "Babelsberg film city".
In 1945, a short period of Soviet administration (LINSA) began, yet very few pictures of this interim exist. Afterwards, the studio area became the DEFA headquarter until 1992. This development is covered well by photos in the general archive. Constructional changes, special technology, specific shooting locations and production plans have been documented. Aerial views of today′s media city Babelsberg complement the stock.