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Nicolas Altmayer, the prolific French producer behind the “OSS 117” franchise and films by François Ozon, Bertrand Bonello and Julia Ducournau, and his partner Mathilde Favier, a prominent Dior public relations executive,
died Monday in a car accident in western France. Altmayer was 61 and Favier was 57.
The couple were killed at around 4 p.m. on a departmental road in Airvault, in the Deux-Sèvres region, according to the Niort prosecutor’s office. Their vehicle “hit a heavy goods vehicle traveling in the opposite direction while they were overtaking another vehicle,” deputy prosecutor Nicolas Leclainche told AFP. An investigation for involuntary manslaughter by a driver has been opened to determine the circumstances of the crash.
Le Figaro reported that Altmayer and Favier were traveling from Cabourg to the Île de Ré, where Favier owned a home.
Altmayer was one of France’s most prominent independent producers. Together with his brother Éric Altmayer, he ran Mandarin & Compagnie, whose credits ranged from hit French comedies to films by some of the country’s leading auteurs.
Among his best-known productions were Michel Hazanavicius’ “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies” and “OSS 117: Lost in Rio,” both starring Jean Dujardin, as well as “Brice de Nice” starring Dujardin. He also produced a long string of films by Ozon, including “Young & Beautiful,” “The New Girlfriend,” “Frantz,” “By the Grace of God,” “Summer of 85” and “Everything Went Fine.”
His credits also included Bonello’s “Saint Laurent” as well as Ducournau’s “Alpha” and “Monsieur Aznavour,” the Charles Aznavour biopic starring Tahar Rahim. In 2017, Nicolas and Éric Altmayer received the César Academy’s Daniel Toscan du Plantier Award, which honors French producers.
“A great producer has died,” filmmaker Fabien Onteniente, whose “Jet Set” and “3 Zéros” were produced by the Altmayer brothers, told AFP.
Ozon also paid tribute to Altmayer, writing on X: “Shock and sadness. Nicolas Altmayer was a great producer. A supporter and a friend.”
Franck Gastambide, who worked with Altmayer on films and the series “Validé,” described his death as a “terrible shock” in comments to Le Figaro. “For 15 years, he was not only my producer but also my mentor, the father I would have wanted to have,” Gastambide said.
Favier was an influential figure in the international fashion and celebrity worlds. After working at Prada, where she helped establish the Italian fashion house’s Paris press operation, she joined Dior in 2011 and became director of public relations for Dior Couture.
In that role, Favier worked closely with many of Dior’s high-profile ambassadors and celebrity guests, including Natalie Portman, Rihanna, Jennifer Lawrence, Anya Taylor-Joy, Camille Cottin and K-pop star Jisoo. Le Figaro described her as a “solar and influential” figure in the fashion industry.
Favier was the sister of Dior Joaillerie creative director Victoire de Castellane. In 2024, she published “Mathilde à Paris,” written with journalist Frédérique Dedet, a personal guide to the French capital. She also founded the association Esthétique & Cancer, which supports people undergoing cancer treatment through beauty and wellness programs.
Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of Dior parent company LVMH, said Favier had “dedicated so many years of her life to putting her passion, energy and talent at the service of the house of Dior.”
Dior CEO Delphine Arnault called her “an exceptional woman whose infectious joy, talent and loyalty were exemplary.”
French producer Elizabeth Kesses said: “Mathilde and Nicolas shone like the sun, both creatively brilliant, natural connectors and most of all the kindest of souls. Their legacy in the world of Film and Couture but also as human beings is fathomless.”
Canal+ boss Maxime Saada wrote on social media that he is “deeply saddened by the passing of Nicolas Altmayer and his partner. Alongside his brother Éric, Nicolas was a leading figure in French cinema — and the broader audiovisual industry — a passionate producer who discovered and nurtured some of our greatest talents, and a loyal partner of @canalplus. My thoughts are with their family, their loved ones, and all those who had the good fortune to know them and work alongside them.”
Added Gaëtan Bruel, president of the CNC, France’s National Film Board: “Nicolas Altmayer was passionate, curious, loyal to the filmmakers he supported, and deeply respected by his peers. His sudden passing comes as a shock and is an immense loss for French cinema.”
Altmayer was the father of four children and Favier had two children.
