In 1958, the Best Picture at the Academy Awards was Gigi, a romantic musical comedy-drama film directed by Vincente Minnelli and produced by Arthur Freed. The film starred Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan, Hermione Gingold, and Eva Gabor. It was based on the 1944 novella of the same name by Colette. The film follows the story of a young girl in Paris who is being groomed as a courtesan in her family's tradition. The film won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture.