Renowned French film producer and Dior PR chief killed in western France crash
Film producer Nicolas Altmayer and Dior public-relations executive Mathilde Favier died in a car collision on a road near Airvault, western France.
Nicolas Altmayer, a leading independent French producer behind hits like “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies” and numerous auteur films, and his partner Mathilde Favier, Dior’s director of public relations for couture, were killed in a traffic accident on a departmental road in Airvault, Deux-Sèvres, at about 4 p.m. Their car collided with a heavy goods vehicle while they were overtaking another car, according to deputy prosecutor Nicolas Leclainche, who has opened an involuntary manslaughter investigation.
Altmayer, 61, co-ran Mandarin & Compagnie with his brother Éric and had received the César Academy’s Daniel Toscan du Plantier Award; Favier, 57, previously worked at Prada and was sister to Dior Joaillerie creative director Victoire de Castellane. Industry figures including filmmaker Fabien Onteniente, director François Ozon, actor Franck Gastambide, and Dior executives Bernard and Delphine Arnault expressed shock and admiration. The couple left behind four children (Altmayer) and two children (Favier).
Why it matters
The deaths remove two influential figures from French cinema and high-fashion, prompting industry mourning and a legal investigation.
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