well i'm very lucky in that i can hire 16mm films for approx. US$12. if you can find a decent provider, then all you'll need is a projector, some reasonable speakers, a white wall, and a few minutes practice threading and looping. so the biggest problem is getting the films and getting them at a price that you can afford because chances are the audience is a) going to be small and b) not going to pay more than a few dollars to see what you've got to show. i have no idea how the american archival system works so i can only wish you luck. (by the way, my society is based at a university and i am given a grant to screen films. the process would be the same independently except i wouldn't get the money! :-/)