ACTRESS Gong Li made a head-turning return to the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, but the “Memoir of a Geisha” star said she’s disappointed at the absence of Chinese films at the festival this year.

    Not a single Chinese film is in competition, out of competition, or selected for any other category. Gong said she believes that’s a sign of an industry that cares too deeply about the dollar sign.

    “Of course this is about money,” she said Wednesday. “We need to tell everyone that a movie is not merely for entertainment. It might leave you with something much deeper for your soul. It’s not just for laughs, not just for jokes. It’s more than that. There’s not a lot of people talking about that in China right now.”

    The 50-year-old actress, who has previously starred in films in competition at Cannes and who has served as a jury member, this year is a guest of the French cosmetics brand L’Oreal, for which she’s an ambassador.

    With close to three decades in the business, Gong has worked extensively with Chinese director Zhang Yimou on films like “Ju Dou,” “Raise the Red Lantern” and “To Live.” She also worked in Hollywood in the early 2000s, appearing in “Memoir of a Geisha” and “Miami Vice.”

    When asked if a lack of roles for Asian actors has kept her from a larger Hollywood career, Gong said that the issue was less about ethnicity than gender.

    (SD-Agencies)